Edgeemakachun and Gradgeeatin

Pamela - posted on 07/06/2011

I think mentoring programs are a great idea. I went to a church that had an extensive mentoring program - they partnered with another inner-city church whose congregants actually came from the neighborhood. The pastor of the inner-city church actually told our pastors that it was nice they wanted to help, but frankly, our folks got to go home to a nice safe neighborhood. The result was "why should we listen to you?" So a number of our middle-class members actually bought homes in this neighborhood (that was known for drive-by shootings) and went into the local schools in that area, and offered after school tutoring. Both churches were able to put together some awesome programs - and also develop relationships with the families of the kids. It's made a huge difference in the area - the neighborhood no longer is subjected to the drug deals and drive-bys.

Of course this is just one story. I think the answer to our troubled schools is not just one thing. It has to be approached from multiple levels - including federal, state, and local funding - but also, having churches reach out of their little bubbles and help with mentoring, after-school tutoring, moving into those neighborhoods instead of isolating away from them. Businesses coming into an area can make a huge difference (though it isn't easy and is a huge risk), urban farming projects can help in creating jobs, job training (anyone hear of Will Allen's Growing Power?).

Karla - posted on 07/02/2011

Traci,
I think you are right about the emphasis on going to college; it is not for everyone. I fear that the trade agreements and current world market undermined the ability of “unskilled” workers to make a living. 25 years ago a person could get a job at a factory and make a decent living, but today those jobs are scarce. Minimum wage doesn’t cut it. Unfortunately this scenario is also affecting skilled labor markets so that even people with a college degree are having problems finding a job.

I guess I would advise someone wanting to go to college to be sure it’s an accredited school – I think that has some value. And I would recommend NOT going into great debt for an education at a private school, much better to get a 4 year degree at a state school w/o as much expense.

Karla - posted on 07/02/2011

Dyan writes “problems with children in good schools are family oriented.” I’m not really sure the “good” needs to be in there. I would say “problems with children in schools are family oriented.” I won’t say that’s always the case, definitely not. Here’s my example: I observed a 5th grade inner city class when I was in college. I talked to the teacher about expectations and abilities. She said her students were getting A’s but when their work was compared to a nearby suburban area school her student’s work would be graded C. (very soon after that the system began a bussing program, which has its own set of problems.) Then she told me that we need to understand that some of these students have moms who are prostitutes and not just absent dads, but incarcerated dads. So when you imagine that life… put yourself in the shoes of that child as much as possible, you begin to understand the drop out rate in inner city schools, you begin to see why homework isn’t a priority, and you begin to see why I don’t put the weight of the issue on the teachers’ shoulders.



How do you get a prostitute mom, or a drug dealing dad to care about school, homework or their offspring at all? To top that off, we all know that the foster care program has lots of problems, and grandma raising the kids of her kids is commendable, but isn’t necessarily a good thing.



Off the top of my head, I wonder if a mentoring through school program might help in inner city schools. I’m thinking of something like this: One school counselor (hopefully an excellent one.) shadows a student throughout the student’s school career. I know that would be a huge endeavor, and if that counselor were to leave the transition would be difficult, but I wonder if it would add a stabilizing force in the child’s life. (The huge problem with my plan is the students often move from one school to another.)



And we must address the issue of breaking the cycle of these problems somehow..

Rosie - posted on 07/02/2011

i think it's a combo of both. but there are a whole mess of schools out there that are worthless. i feel lucky to be able to have my boys go to excellent schools.
problems with children in good schools are family oriented. if parents are not paying attention to their childs schooling, the child is gong to have a tougher time.

as for higher education i can see how having a degree from harvard could make a difference when applying for a job. but in actuality i dont' feel there is much difference between colleges though. plus when you take in to effect how much it costs, and how long you'll be paying that back, i'd say it's not worth it.

Traci - posted on 07/02/2011

I agree. K-12 problems are family problems. Absent fathers, teen mothers, grandparents raising grandchildren, kids coming home to empty houses, parents not taking an active role in their child's education. There are bad teachers out there (I think school administration is a larger problem than the teachers), but the buck stops with the parent in the end.

I think there is too much emphasis on "everybody must go to college." Not everybody should go to college. There are some people who are just not suited for a learning environment of that sort. Vocational schools, job training, apprenticeship, and interning are all valid and equal ways of learning when compared to a college education. If I want to be a carpenter, there is no reason to spend $60,000 on tuition costs. I think so many waste so much in going to school and never finishing...all because they were told they HAD to go.

Kind of interesting... http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Col...