The Pomp and Circumstance of It All...
I'm familiar with the music for "pomp and circumstance." It's familiar music that most people would are aware of. I actually had to look up the meaning though as while I knew what pomp meant, this use of the word circumstance was a little unfamiliar to me. Mirriam-Webster dictionary defines pomp as: "a ceremonial or festival display (such as a train of followers or a pageant)" and circumstance as: "attendant formalities and ritualistic display especially as contrasted with essential procedure." Hearing the music swell as you walk down the isles to take your place in the seats designated for graduates is a moment of pride for many. A question for a lot of people, however, is whether or not they'll ever experience that moment.
I'm writing about this topic because I read this article written by Arizona governor Doug Ducey. I thought, personally, that Governor Ducey did a very good job in his article. It's one of the first times that I've seen anyone in politics write something with such a personal bent to it. Yes I'm sure that there are aspects to it that were meant to push a political agenda, but in this case it's a really good agenda.
Personally, I do agree with what Governor Ducey stated. It would be wonderful to have more people with college level educations or at least ASDs or technical school certificates. It's needed. There are a lot of jobs and career paths that require it or will be moving to a point in the future that they require it. However, for as wonderful as the initiative that he is suggesting here, I do see some severe problems with it.
Now, I realize that Governor Ducey addressed this, to a degree. Particularly, he addressed it in regards to low income families, saying:
While there is certainly no shortage of desire in these students to be
successful, low-income families face added challenges to educational
attainment that we can identify and target with our efforts and
resources in order to assist those who need help the most.
That's wonderful! I'm not saying that sarcastically either, it truly is wonderful and I would love to see this happen. But low-income families aren't the only ones who have issues affording tuition and the various costs that go along with higher education. When I left high school, despite my parents best efforts and taking me around to see different campuses, I didn't have any desire to go straight into college. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to study (which ended up changing to a completely different career path - I was going to study journalism and now I'm a nurse. Night and day difference there.) However, I was also very aware of the cost of higher education. I knew that my parents were willing to do whatever it took to help me get a college education but I knew how difficult that would also be for them.
Another problem I see with this kind of a push:
which ties in to:
Teachers work a lot more than just weekends. My mother is a retired teacher after 20+ years in the public school system. Believe me, I've been horrified and angered on her behalf hearing some of the issues she's gone through. From funding (which Governor Ducey addressed there was funding being added to the budget - wonderful!) to the shift to more and more standardized testing (that gives no benefit from the children aside from seeing how well they take a test) to the changes that have been made to the content of education (see: Common Core - it doesn't work.)
This kind of a push - to see 60% of Arizonians with higher level education - is wonderful. It truly is. But it goes a lot deeper than this. Governor Ducey's article was a message filled with hope, a call for all "elected leaders, business leaders, parents, grandparents and neighbors" to have a hand in improving education attainment. I appreciated that, I did. It made me hopeful, it was a very positive message. I think it might just be a little misplaced however. There wasn't any discussion on the quality of education that students are receiving in high school - or down in middle school either. There was no discussion on how the education system needs reform. That's a discussion I'd really like to see. Well, no, I don't want to see a discussion. I want to see an initiative like this one put toward education reform.
I feel as though, while Governor Ducey's message was well thought out and definitely promising, that in a way it's hitting the mark. If we want to see more people achieve higher level education then we need to step back. We need to look not at those who are at the gap between graduating high school and college but further back still. First, students have to make it to graduation. They have to feel capable of taking on higher education. They have to be prepared well before their final four years of school but back in middle school. That is where the hunger and thirst for knowledge begins. If we don't make changes there then, as well-meaning as Governor Ducey's initiative is, I don't think it's going to reach the numbers he's hoping for. It is, however, a good start.
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