I have a real bone to pick with the President tonight, and I realize that I often get up high on my soapbox and don't have much to back myself up....but I feel pretty confident I do on this one. So, this little tiny high school in Washington (Bridgeport) was selected as one of the top 3 schools in the contention to have President Obama as the commencement speaker. Strangely enough, in the aftermath of a natural disaster (extreme flooding), Obama chooses a larger, high profile school in Memphis. Not saying those kids in Memphis don't deserve to have the President come speak there....but I am so bothered by the fact that it very much appears to be a cop-out to get publicity for his upcoming presidential campaign. All politicians at that level are so good at playing the games that they need to play to get them the votes, and it looks so much better for him to devote his time on a school that has been hit hard with something like that.
Aside from that...the main part of my soapbox is that I want to acknowledge that what the Bridgeport high school students have done is INSANE and phenomenal, and I believe that they deserve more than a big pat on the back for their efforts. Get this, every person in their graduating class is actually graduating. Granted its only a 200 person school, but I saw the pictures and there was a room of at least 50 kids. I can completely guarantee that at my school, if we had even just 50 kids, not a 100% of them would graduate. Also, every single person in their graduating class has been accepted and is attending college in the Fall. That is unheard of, especially in a school where 100% of the students are receiving free or reduced lunches. I went to a school full of snotty rich kids from the South Hill, and our percentage of college attendees was way lower than that. And we aren't talking a private school in a rich neighborhood, we are talking about kids that are at a disadvantage economically and who mostly come from families where the parents may or may not speak English. I'm totally jazzed about high school students who are working with their upbringing and taking the challenge to attain great things. That's why I loved College Bound so much and why I see myself dedicating my social work career to high school students.
I think the big bummer is that on the edge of all of this are huge budget cuts in education and huge lay-offs (even in the Spokane area). I have friends that are being affected by it. This country is blundering our education system...hands down. No explanation would convince me otherwise. I hate it. Especially when, although I'm not going to be a teacher, I'm dedicated to the idea that everyone deserves a chance to make it. We are failing those kids that deserve that opportunity. We are failing those parents who wish for their kids to have opportunities that they never had. I shouldn't have been able to go to college, because my parents didn't have the money to fund it. Its was made possible only through the incredible teachers I had who helped me land those grades and the grants and scholarships that I was able to land because of those grades. I fear there will be more kids in my position who can't afford it or perceive that they can't and just give up. Makes me sad.
So props to Bridgeport High School seniors....if you don't think they are cool....then I don't think you are cool.
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