Life has a way of reminding us of our vulnerabilities. We think we have all the bases covered. We think we've finally gotten to the place of a smooth ride. And when life events stir the pot, we wonder why we did not see it coming. I'll tell you why. Because we all wear blinders so that we can control our world better. If we don't see certain things, then we don't have to act on them; we don't have to confront issues that are too dreadful to command our attention until it is absolutely necessary.
But when these life events finally demand our attention, it triggers something and we have an aha! moment when we see the past and it's path to the future very clearly. And then we ask ourselves, why didn't I put two and two together long ago? It is humbling and not a little frightening to discover family vulnerabilities at the later stages of life, when it's harder to cope and easier to wear the blinders.
Every family has its vulnerabilities. Every family finds a way to cope with them. We don't get off easy in this life and we just have to accept giving up control over matters we couldn't foresee.
I listened to the Secretary of Education today on the radio. It's almost laughable the number of jargon-filled platitudes he used. Sure, we want an educated population (which does not mean everyone should have a graduate degree), but his emphasis on everyone going to college so they can get a good job is ludicrous. What jobs? And how many of them really require a college degree?
Thirty years ago, America moved away from a manufacturing economy to become a service economy and the skilled jobs gave way to burger slinging and call center script reading. Now there is a push to move back to a manufacturing economy and what is needed is skilled labor, not a multitude of college grads with the equivalent of a high school diploma flooding the market with the wrong skills.
If I can figure this out, why can't those who are running the show? I'll tell you why. Self-interest, territory protection, unwillingness to really embrace change.
Education has been in crisis since I became a teacher over forty years ago. Nothing has changed. We don't value it in America, we don't want to make the sacrifices it takes to provide world-class education, and we'd prefer to mollycoddle our children. And besides, we have to keep those kids in school longer because there are no jobs for them to go to when they get out.
Things are in a mess and the old boys in Washington have no interest in fixing it. Let's face it. The apple has a worm in it.
