It is no secret that money can buy you much of your education in this country. In fact, that is much of what the current educational reforms are trying to deal with (however unsuccessfully). But perhaps it’s not simply the lack of money that is accounting for schools failures to achieve. Perhaps its the fact that money is what seems to be most highly valued . Lets just think about this…Highly qualified teachers want to teach where they will get paid the best (wealthy school districts) and students are more determined than ever to grow up rich. A recent article in the Chicago Tribune spoke about the new values of the next generation.
“…research found that, when adjusted for inflation, parents are spending 500 percent more money on kids today than just one generation earlier.”
I am not trying to whine about the failing morals of the next generation, but I do think that this is an issue that will and already is affecting classroom attitudes. If the students we teach are only (or mostly) interested in getting rich then trying to teach them the art of writing won’t go very far. We are then left with a very NCLB-ish style of teaching which is teaching only so that certain standards can be met and not worrying much about the inner well-being of the students. Everything in education seems to have taken a shift in the past few years toward a “success” mindset. Don’t get me wrong, success is wonderful and of course we want our students to succeed, but what type of success are we aiming at? What are we really teaching if the main goal we set out for our students is to get ahead? What about personal growth and understanding, kindness, caring…etc. I feel that these are qualities that are seeping out of our schools because of the mounting pressures of success.
Tim Barello, a 24-year-old New Yorker, thought he’d arrived when he got a job as a publicist and was able to rent an apartment in an exclusive building in Manhattan.
“Yes, I have a nice apartment, a great job, a great degree, great clothing. But I feel empty inside rather often.”
So he’s changing his focus. This week he began classes to pursue his dream of acting–even if it means giving up the cushy life.
“There is so much more to life,” he says, “than materialistic possessions.”
I strongly feel that its time for schools to truly start perparing students for all aspects of life and that includes more than just a successful job. We need to be helping students figure out how to become a successful whole person. And we can start by teaching them as such.
link to full article
Hannah, I agree with you on the fact that money doesn’t always mean you can buy and better education and it SHOULDN’T mean that. I attended a Christian school here is Grand Rapids, and frank, while I enjoyed the school I went to and the safe environment it provided I don’t think my education was any better than someone who went to a local public school (with the possible exception being GRPS…but that’s another story). I do feel that my school was able to better me personally than a public school though because we were not confined by the public school requirements, and that is something that needs to be addressed. Union High school has a 60% drop out rate for students right now-why isn’t that issue being addressed instead of meap scores and state money incomes? Schooling should be about more than just the subjects: it should be about learning about yourself and others as people and growing as a person. Money has become so important nowadays that other areas get pushed aside and they shouldn’t.
Hannah,
Money, money, money… I just finished Pride and Prejudice for my Brit Lit. 2 class, and I feel that this whole idea of being obsessed with money isn’t a new idea at all. Not only do kids want to grow up and be rich (or richer), but chances are their parents want it for them as well. That is o.k. What they are doing is wanting what is best for their children (in a cheap, 1980’s, greedy sort of mentality). What we need to teach our students is that first of all, in order to be well off, you have to have some knowlege or talent, and that money is not going to make you happy, unless you are doing something that you genuinely enjoy. Whether you are teaching in the inner city to kids who value expensive cars and “bling”, or in the elite schools to kids who value expensive cars and “bling,” I have a feeling that our students will all value money.
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