Life after 2016

Let me start of by saying that I was a supporter of the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid. I think it could have revitalized parts of the south side if done properly. I know that many argued that it would be done in classic Chicago fashion, with the usual suspects benefiting, but I was optimistic that it would have turned out differently. Moot arguments to say the least. So now what?

The public schools and the violence that surrounds them should be priority numero uno. I think saturating the area with police to at least slow down the tide of violence while social programs reach out to try and figure out/fix whatever it is that has gone horribly wrong at home. At the schools themselves, that's a trickier task. the school that Derrion Albert attended has an abysmal 5% performance rating...5%! Charter schools will help, but not everyone can afford to go to these schools. I think that Chicago is just a small part of a larger problem in America when it comes to education. Kids just don't give a damn. I say that at the risk of sounding like my father, but I also speak from a position of experience. When I was in high school I didn't give a damn either, and the teachers didn't do much to drive home the fact that without a good education, my prospects for living a productive life were severely diminished. Luckily I figured that out on my own.

So I don't think that this problem is limited to this generation (wipper snappers). If you look at developing countries like India, you see a thirst for knowledge, a hunger to learn that drives many of them to attend college. They see the importance of education. So what is it about American schools/teachers/students/society that is failing to convey this critical message? Why do so many students not aspire to better their lives? One argument is that they view their prospects as hopeless, that because of their parent's current financial situation there is little reason to try. Yet education is the perfect tool to help dispel this myth that you can't make it no matter what you do. I don't care where you start in life, with a proper education you truly can make anything of your life. It's this message that isn't reaching students, be it the fault of parents, teachers the CPS or all three.

The movie Boiler Room quoted Notorious BIG best: "Either you're slingin' crack-rock, or you've got a wicked jump-shot." Nobody wants to work for it anymore. There's no honor in taking that after school job at Mickey Dee's, honor's in the dollar, kid.

I think parents are the front line of reversing this train of thought. They HAVE to take a more active roll in instilling the ideas of the importance of education. Secondly, teachers have to reinforce this while the students are at school, and lastly, the CPS has to do everything in its power to make schools safe and modern. The CPS also has to set higher standards for teachers, we need more qualified teachers, simple as that. With that would come higher salaries for teachers, which would in turn, draw more people to become more qualified teachers.

I think it's imperative that we address this problem of lack of passion in education on all levels. Get people in the CPS who really, really care about this, social programs to get parents to understand it starts with them, qualified teachers that are passionate about teaching and school programs that really drive home the importance of education to students. I can't help but believe that a lot of our problems Chicago and America faces in general, could be greatly contained, even reversed with highly educated and motivated kids instead of gang bangers that beat honor roll students to death.