I experienced one of the proudest days of my young teaching career last month; my students took the ACT.
You may think it sounds odd to link the warm-and-fuzzy with the tedium of standardized testing, and, a few weeks ago, I would have agreed.
I teach two sections of “ACT Prep,” an intervention class for students who lag behind their peers in English and reading skills. Despite its name, the course isn’t as much about test preparation as it is about reinforcing the basic foundational skills and knowledge that many of the students at my alternative high school are lacking.
When the test day came, my kids were nervous but excited. They were ready to pour everything they had learned into that one important exam. And, after four hours and numerous soft-lead Number 2 pencils, they had. I was proud.
We won’t get the results back for a few weeks (I’m expecting some amazing scores after recording increasing tallies on practice tests over the past few months), but when they do come in, what will it mean for my students, most of whom live in poverty?
At the same time my kids were elbow-deep in clause structures and inference questions, the University of Colorado’s Board of Regents were passing a 9.3 percent in-state tuition hike for most students to offset a state funding loss.
It’s hard to imagine the heavy financial burden that my students will have to endure to earn a college education. I grew up in a middle class household and am still writing monthly checks to Sallie Mae. According to a recent New York Times article, student loan debt outpaced credit card debt for the first time last year, with graduates who took out loans leaving college with an average $24,000 debt. Default rates are also on the rise.
As teachers and parents, we laud the value of a college degree and endorse the idea that it is the one, true ticket to personal financial and professional stability. Yet, as a society, we fail in putting our money where our mouths are.
The economy is in the tank, and across sectors — from engineering to agriculture, manufacturing to bioscience — our country needs innovators. Perhaps one day we will realize that these short-sighted cuts to higher education are doing little to answer this pressing need. And perhaps one day we’ll invest what is necessary to ensure that college — without the crush of debt — is within reach for all kids, even mine.
That would really make me proud.
Tweet
