Finals Week

Today ended another Finals Week here at College of the Sequoias. What stands out to me from the results in my classes is the great disparity among the students. Most either did very well or they did poorly, with relatively few in the middling range. They either applied themselves and studied thoroughly or they did not bother to prepare. This suggests some interesting things to muse about.

In my five History classes I distributed study sheets pointing out what they needed to know for their specific final and where to find it. Depending on the various class calendars the students then had either five or seven days to prepare. For the benefit of those who really like to get started early they had also been told for weeks what chapters their final would cover. Since these are all college students who had stuck it out to the end of the semester, one might assume they would all want to make sure their investments of time, effort and money were not in vain.

If so, that assumption would have been disappointed. One of the questions on the test shed some light on the subject. I asked the students to write about an event in their personal history that had an important effect on their subsequent life. That this is a poor area was highlighted by the number of young people who wrote about tragedies very close to them. There seemed to be a disproportionate number of deaths of close family members, imprisonments, and so forth. Family breakups were commonly cited. Parents losing jobs and frequent moves were other themes. Some had such problems or were recovering from health issues and substance abuse difficulties themselves.

It seemed the social problems we have, especially among the less privileged, are truly serious and corrosive in our society. Many have overcome a lot just to be taking classes at a community college at all. Many were the first to go to college in their families; some were the first or second to even make it through high school. Quite a few mentioned how proud their mother would be if they made it through and graduated. Others mentioned a grandfather or a teacher who had inspired them. It is so crucial for parents to offer encouragement and set standards and expectations, and for the rest of us who come into contact with young people to offer them a positive role model and practical wisdom. So many are not hearing it from many quarters.

Even so, many are just lazy or immature. They simply are not ready or do not get how life operates yet. We will see some of them a few years down the road. We love to see students in their thirties and older come into our classes. They have found out from the school of hard knocks that life without a vocational certificate or degree is usually not a bed of roses. They have been stuck in dead end jobs and are seriously motivated.

At the bottom line, an attitude of pride in one's self, an ethic of achievement and some fear of what life usually metes out to the unprepared would be good cultural traits to pass along. There is also the matter of confidence or belief. Many who do not come from backgrounds that inculcate such values have to fight peer pressure or resentment. Since so many are not getting these ideas at home, they must be communicated at school from the earliest grades. And there also needs to be a more stable financial situation for the working poor. The hand to mouth struggle for existence for many is a major impediment to taking the time or having the resources to succeed. People need to see a realistic way ahead. Just being told about it is not enough for many; they need to see it in their communities.