Graduation and Beyond

This is the time of year when most young people are looking forward. For some it is a time of decision and turmoil. For others (often the young) it is a time to worry and wonder what comes next. That may be as soon as this summer and for others summer becomes a hyphen and the worry is for the following fall. K-12 teachers will tell you that spring fever is really the wonder and uncertainty of how the changes will go and affect a student’s world.
There is a great deal of talk in the political arena for high school graduates to go to college. I feel that we are forgetting some of the real issues- the importance of public education K-12. A K-12 education is a lot more intense and involves tough curriculum expectations and advanced education with expectancies much higher than in even the last ten years. One of the foremost jobs of the state is to educate which leads to the right of children and adults of a state to an education through the high school level. A person should be able to graduate from high school with options. I do not understand this push that everyone needs a college education. College should be one of the many options following a successful high school completion.
So this is a really a joint venture- the state needs to provide districts with the teachers and the materials and the student takes responsibility and ownership of his/her education and the future. Again I mention college is an option- one option a high school graduate may have. The choice of “the next step” depends on goals and options and needs for life. There appears to be a big push that college is a must for everyone. For so many reasons I don’t agree. Not everyone for a variety of reasons wants or needs what college offers. There are so many different directions including going into the work force, enhancing a talent, military, perhaps fulfilling a commitment, obligation, or dream or even realizing that some decisions take time and patience.
One issue is that of economics. An interesting statistic I heard was that over 17% of the working population is working with more education than the job requires. There is also the issue of the cost of a college education and the amount of loans that are outstanding for many college graduates. Along with this is the wrong assumption that a college degree means you automatically start somewhere other than an entry level type position.
I heard an interesting report regarding U.S. colleges. The reporter mentioned that in a recent study it was found that college students only studied 4 hours a day but socialized for 14 hours. The reporter went on to say students didn’t get as much learning in comparison to the cost. The comment was made that the college faculty was to blame. This report angered me on several levels. Talking with college students many of them commiserate about the amount of work that is expected as well as time in hands on experience in his/her field. So if someone is socializing for 14 hours then perhaps college is the wrong place for the socializer that studies so little. I think it is all perspective- in the recent past a college education was not considered a right but something you had to work for; both to get in and to “prove yourself” to stay in. Just like any career. You had to work hard – a college diploma isn’t something deserved but something to work toward.
Having said that, friends have heard me say on more than one occasion- not everyone should be in college. I have shared my theory that the responsibilities of college being the cause of so much drinking/drugs and out of control behavior that has been in the news. Being clear here - college shouldn’t change for the students but the student needs to take ownership and responsibility and ownership of his/her life and learning. Some of the behavior has been tragic and well publicized. Could it be that students feel stressed and overwhelmed and are attending only because parents and politicians feel that is the only route of success for everyone?
We need a paradigm shift. I take issue then with a society that feels everyone needs to follow the same path and be in the same nitch. I firmly believe that everyone has talents to offer and those talents need to be encouraged and strengthened so that everyone has options upon graduating from high school.
Many people have great talents that many not need to be part of academia but make wonderful careers. These people have much sought after skills in areas like cooking, baking, art, music, carpentry, masonry, make up, design, massage, tailoring, writing or mechanics, people skills to name only a few. Many of these talents if given the nurturing and opportunity are just as vital and esteemed as academics and research. Not every career needs the backing of a college degree. For these talents it is not sitting in class that helps explode the talent but apprenticeships and courses and workshops that enhance those talents and whatever is needed to be successful in the real world.
After congratulating a high school graduate the question you need to ask that graduate is not “Where are you going to college?” But rather, ”So what are you thinking about for your next step in life?”