David Magallanes
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The original form of the following article was published in the Focal Points Newsletter for Professional Women, September/October, 1994, of the Ventura County Professional Women’s Network (of which I had been a member). The article may be from nearly twenty years ago, but the issues remain, and in some ways have become even more critical since this was written:
By David Magallanes /Guest contributor
Many of us who are successful in our own businesses and professions may be taking for granted one of the most priceless treasures we have in our possession: our education. Whether it was imparted in the schools we attended or nurtured at home by at least one loving parent or some other mentor, we have the tools and wherewithal to deal effectively with the world, to challenge it, to call upon its resources, to contribute to this society in which we live. Our education is one of those few cherished items that no one can take from us.
I had always taken my education for granted. I attended a parochial elementary school and a no-nonsense high school. I served in the military in a very technical field. I acquired a university degree. I worked for many years in highly technical areas in which practically everyone was highly educated. I thought this was “normal.”
Until I changed careers to teach at a local community college. Although I have had many intellectually developed students in my classes of all conceivable backgrounds, I was appalled at the academic deficiencies of most of the high school graduates that attended my classes. [Note: these tended to be students who for one reason or another were not selected to attend a four-year university, or who did not apply to attend one.] I didn’t remember high schools graduating students who still counted on their fingers, who could not properly form numbers on a page, or who could not assemble a complete sentence.
The challenge of educators today is to prepare these young minds for the intricacies of the vast technical world of work that stretches before them, and that would accept them with relatively open arms if they were to carry the tools of preparation bestowed upon them by their schools. To function and succeed in this brave new technological world requires a firm understanding of computers and of some mathematics. And the sooner we can start turning out reasonably good writers and presenters, the more we as a society will benefit from improved communication at all levels.
The reasons for this unsettling academic degeneration are many. We all know that families are fragmenting at an unprecedented rate. In Southern California in particular, we are forced to deal with an enormous cultural diversity that was unknown to some of us in our childhood. A sizable portion of our young people are trying just to master the English language. Also, many of the students in our area are from impoverished homes in which the urge to survive far outweighs the urge to receive an education, to plan one’s life, to contribute, to prosper. It is difficult to motivate a student to learn algebra or calculus when he is worried about making it home that evening without being attacked or even killed.
I had a conversation with a member of the Ventura County Professional Women’s Network, Arlene Goldberg, an instructor/counselor with a local skills training and retention program. She upheld my belief that in education, we must teach our young adult students not just the academic and technical skills that they must acquire, but also success “secrets,” such as personal responsibility, interpersonal skills, interview tactics, the importance of punctuality and appearance, how to shake hands, how to use eye contact, etc. Many students also require instruction in basic topics such as finances, taxes and the management of both stress and time.
Next: Education Today, part II
— David Magallanes is a writer, speaker and retired professor of mathematics. You may contact him at adelantos@msn.com