|
|
OPINION
Okay…I know that beating a dead horse is sometimes not very productive. Many of you have heard this over and over again—getting an education is imperative in this day. I am a school teacher when I am not freelance writing. In fact I teach adults who are trying to pass their GED. My students range anywhere from 17-60. They have recognized the fact that education is what opens doors to employment. The dropout rate has improved over time. In 2005 the dropout rate nationwide was 9.0 percent. In Colorado we had a little over 9,000 students statewide who dropped out. Now that doesn’t seem like a lot, but if you multiply by 5 years we have at least 45,000 young people who do not have a high school diploma.( http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/ download/pdf/2003Dropouts/2003PressFinalDropRates.xls). I found this story that I thought many of you could relate to. A Simple Story About the Importance of Education, by Steve Olson This is a true story you can use to stress the importance of education to your children. When I was 19 I worked for a seafood restaurant as a prep cook, but specifically, I sliced and hand peeled thousands of individual shrimp 12-14 hours a day, six days a week. We were a bunch of 18-30 year-old classic American burnouts – except – after school each day – one 15 year-old Korean kid peeled shrimp with us. We affectionately nicknamed him “Flounder.” He was a good kid and we tried not to corrupt him. Everyone knew Flounder’s parents; they owned the flower shop and the liquor store at a nearby mall and his dad had been selling us booze since we were 15. So, one day, about eight of us were standing around in the cooler doing whip-its, when I said, “Flounder, what are you doin’ workin’ [this] job? I mean, your parents own two businesses. They must be doin’ pretty good. You don’t need the money, do you?” Flounder replied, “No, we don’t need the money. I don’t want this job. I hate it here. My dad makes me do it…. He said he wanted me to know what my life would be like if I didn’t get an education.” It was silent. Flounder didn’t realize what he had said to us. We didn’t hold it against him. We all knew his dad was right, and it hurt. We’d all been schooled, but we weren’t educated. We didn’t even know what it meant. Some say Mark Twain said, “Never let your schooling get in the way of your education.” Flounder’s dad knew that we learn in every moment of our lives, so he gave his son the best education he could by forcing him to peel shrimp. At the time, I didn’t view peeling shrimp as an education; I viewed it as a way to make money. But it was a part of my education, and a valuable one I’m grateful to have had. (http://www.steve-olson.com/). Do everything you can to encourage young people to complete high school. Learning never ends, it is a life-long commitment. Bonnie Nelson is a freelance writer living in Fountain, CO. If you have comments or questions, email her at waltbon@comcast.net.
|
