Breaking rule # 37

Okay so the 37 part was made up, but just go on this adventure with me.

Now, I'm not one who personally enjoys talking politics. I'm normally the one who listens to everyone around me and periodically interjects some sort of washy opinion, but only when I know that I'm right. Most of the people that I am friends with are fairly knowledgeable in the political realm, so I try and just learn (Bart, Billy, etc.). So today is going to be a fairly large leap for me. I'm going to talk politics.

I keep hearing people say that "you young people are so impressionable" and that we are easily swayed in terms of believing what candidates say in an election year. They paint us as uninformed and easily persuaded by issues that are, I'll use the term "lower level issues," meaning that they aren't a top priority for the majority of voters.

There are quite a few things that I have strong opinions on, and one of them happens to be education. As a recent graduate about to start paying back my college loans, I am well aware of the fact that I am in some serious student debt. Not nearly as much as I could be in, but because I chose to go to a private university, I incurred more debt than I would have if I had chosen to attend a state school. However, with that decision I accepted the fact that I would be incurring more student loan debt.

Here is the kicker that is going to offend some people, but please understand that I encourage you to disagree with me (kindly and respectfully!), either to yourself or publicly on the comments section of my blog.

I do not think that going to college is a right. Some people just aren't cut out for a four-year university, which is why we have trade schools for things such as cosmetics, culinary school, automotive school, etc. Neither of my parents completed four year degrees, and they have been two incredibly successful people. My mom has owned two small businesses, a book store and a cabin rental company (www.nc-cabins.com, FYI), as well as serving as an advertising director for the Sun Sentinel and Boca Magazine in south Florida for several years. She has also done work for the in-flight magazines that airlines produce. My dad has been everything from a real-estate agent to a wine connoisseur to the owner of his own homebuilding company (www.scalymountainbuilders.com). They are hardworking individuals who made their own success without a four year degree, but instead with a dedication to hard work.

One of my biggest frustrations in college were the students who came to class and slept because they didn't want to be there but were being forced to by their parents. I think that if a student wants to attend college, that they will find a way through scholarships, part-time jobs, loans, and grants. I think that the best way to put it is this: Let's say that I wanted to go to Harvard, and because colleges were made so much easier to get into, I was accepted. Now, I'm not smart enough to go to Harvard based on today's standards, and I'm completely okay with that. However, if Harvard were to start admitting people at four or five times the rate that they do now (which is currently 5.9%, the lowest of the Ivey Leagues, followed by Yale at 6.8%, Columbia at 7.4%, and Princeton at 7.9%), the name "Harvard" and the distinguished honor that comes with being a graduate of an Ivey League would be lost. Harvard and these other schools are in the class that they are because of their incredibly low acceptance rates.

I think that instead of pushing high education, our government should instead focus on making the years that we are in grade school more focused and more educational. Give students options to take trade-related classes, such as the ones taught at my high school. Drafting, construction, etc. Put more funding into finding well-trained and better paid educators, instead of making the salaries for the people helping to mold the minds of future generations so low that it's a miracle that anyone majors in education any more. The bottom line is that we need teachers who are not only passionate, but who are well trained and well equipped to deal with some of the problems that we are seeing in schools. Give teachers a reason to put in the extra time and dedication to helping students, but be realistic about the expectations. There are always going to be drop-out rates. Instead of making students want to drop out of high school, make them want to attend classes that they actually enjoy. Don't make students take four years of government history when their true passion is fixing a transmission. Teach them the basics on how to make it in our world and then teach them something they can be proud of doing.

When I was in high school, I knew two students who dropped out because education just wasn't their thing. One went on to become a chef, and he is so talented. Instead of making classes boring, make them about what students want to learn about. I loved my liberal arts education because it truly gave me a small taste of everything. I found what I wanted to do and nothing could stop me. That's a passion, right there. Doing something you love and being paid to do it. Whether you love cooking, fixing cars, writing, drawing, sewing, or molecular physics, you should be able to enjoy your passion while being encouraged, not discouraged.

Having a trade school degree is one of the most admirable things, in my opinion. Our country wouldn't survive without people who pursued alternative forms of education, and I think that instead of making people feel like a four year degree is essential for success, make people proud of their accomplishments no matter what they are.

...politicking done.