Real equality begins with education

Shortly after I finished my B.A., I was able to teach at a junior high school in Louisiana. My contract required me to work on an M.Ed. to receive my teaching credentials. My first weeks of teaching seventh and eighth grades were eye-opening. And it was there in that school in Oakdale, Louisiana, and I pledged myself to give my best to my students. Since 2004, I made the transition to teach at the university and community college level. To this day, I still keep my pledge. What caused me to set that standard was something one of the professors said, “if you set your expectations high for your students and give them the tools to achieve it, they will. If you set low expectations, they will fall below them every time.”

Language literacy is the beginning of learning

I often tell people I am a student of life. I love learning. But at the heart of my ability to learn is a practical competency of the English language. One of the hallmarks in the study of human civilization is the creation of written communication. It is what defines the difference between a simple or complex civilization. Without a standardized written language, ideas, theories, history – everything we think of as relating to culture – can be easily lost in time. Everything we know about the ancient and classical world comes from learning the standard rules of those ancient written languages.

In my courses, I require students to submit their written work using standard English rules and standard American English spelling. But I do not stop there. When I notice a student struggling with writing, I help them. I offer my office hour time and make referrals for tutoring and writing lab assistance. I will proofread rough drafts. There are times I will review a student’s paper four or five times before they submit it for a grade. No, I am not trying to be mean or belittle a student. But just as with anything in life worth doing, it takes practice to write well. We need to quit making excuses for low academic achievement.

Lowering academic standards hurts futures

There are many futures hurt by lowering academic standards. The most obvious is the students it impacts. Every semester I encounter students entering college after their high school graduation. They are struggling because of how academic standards are lowered to raise graduation rates. Many cannot test out of the remedial classes and need help learning the basics of reading, writing, and math. This creates disillusionment, self-doubt, and hostility to college-level academics. Sure, some of the students do what is needed to earn a degree. But many drop out, believing they do not have the ability to handle college. The failure isn’t theirs – it is the educational system’s failure.

Lowering standards hurts our communities and families. Not having basic English competency reduces the number of jobs and opportunities available. The available positions are low-skilled entry-level jobs paying little above minimum wage. It condemns families to a life dependent upon social welfare programs and robs young men and women of their full potential as wage earners. As a result, we are seeing the fabric of American society strained as the most underperforming public schools are in urban areas where African Americans make up the majority of the student body. In the more rural areas, like where I live, this impacts both African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian students alike.

Rethinking education and expectations

Since the Clinton administration, each president has had their vision of how American education needs to be reformed.  Real reforms are required, and we need to rethink the purpose of public education. We need to get back to the idea that a high school diploma means a student is either ready for trade-based jobs or prepared for college-level education. Vocational training needs to be brought back to high schools – auto mechanics, carpentry, and plumbing. We also need a generation of teachers who will promote vocational training in a trade as an acceptable alternative to a college education.

It is time we move beyond the logic that gave us the Supreme Court decision of Plessy v. Ferguson. Separate but equal was overturned about fifty years later because the separate schools were not equal. Since then, we’ve seen African American students prove wrong the Nineteenth Century belief that African Americans could not learn at the same level or speed as Caucasians. And now, as a nation, we watch as educational bias against African Americans becomes the new normal. Once again, we are hearing the tired arguments of but African Americans can’t learn the same subjects as whites dominate the conversation about educational reform.We cannot let those voices win.

Alan Simmons

Alan Simmons is an instructor of history at a community college in Kentucky. He has been involved in education since 1999 and has taught in post-secondary education since 2004.

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