"Learning to navigate through the worn pages of a book, the words become an adventure, offering a journey of hope.
"But discrimination is the only word that some children learn. Access to basic education has a price.
"So does a lack of education. The cost: a human life caught in a cycle of poverty."
-- Catholic Relief Services
I knew this to be true decades ago, that education is the only reasonable path out of a lifetime of poverty. And at one time, America was a shining beacon, offering education and opportunity to all.
Not so any longer. In my own community, right now, we have a government that sees investment in public schools as a drag on taxpayers, a squandering, if you will, of perfectly good money.
Today, a higher education -- a bachelor's degree or higher -- is increasingly out of reach for a shrinking middle class. Public school funding is being cut not just in our own community, but across the country, at every level.
The one investment that could help lift our children and grandchildren out of a life of poverty and offer them the opportunity (those who would grasp that golden ring on the carousel of life) to not only earn more money, but to develop their potential, discover ways to better understand the world around them, to find something they are passionate about and learn how to use it to make a difference for others, to change the world.
Yet we as a society are willing to deny young adults that opportunity? We are willing to settle for a mediocre educational foundation so that we can save money for what?
How has education formed me into the person I am?
I was 22 years old, a single parent with a young daughter and little to no support from anyone, working at menial jobs and earning never quite enough to make ends meet. I recall applying for a government training program that would have given me some basic clerical skills and credentials. I was denied, because as the counselor informed me, I "already had a full-time job." Yes, I did -- in retail, making minimum wage. A co-worker of mine who had essentially the same job, even at the same retail establishment, also applied. She was single, living with her parents, no responsibilities, and earning the same money I was. She was given a spot in the training program. I cried in frustration.
But finally I found another state agency that was willing to pay for me to attend a community college and earn a degree. I chose medical laboratory technology and graduated with a job at our local hospital, where I worked for seven years.
Education had literally saved me again.
I later went on to earn a bachelor's degree in elementary education, but worked my way through the remaining years of coursework while working at the local newspaper. I had by that time married again and was also raising two sons.
I didn't end up becoming a teacher, except for a very brief stint, but that degree was my proof that I could accomplish whatever I wanted, within reason. It opened doors for me in the newsroom, and what I learned in both educational experiences helped me become who I am today by allowing me to prove it could be done. There was a time, between the two college stints, when I thought that if I ever won a lottery, I would establish a fund to help other single mothers earn a degree and find a new, richer and more prosperous life, just as I had.
It didn't happen, But if I ever do win a lottery, that is definitely one of the things I would consider.
I say consider, because unlike 30 years ago, a degree no longer is a guarantee of greater success or earnings on the job. A sad commentary on the state of our society, closing doors for people who have so much to contribute, given the chance.
How can education break the cycle of poverty for these children (see picture at top of this post, read quote next to it)?
Education can break their cycle of poverty the same way it changed my life. You see, education is more than just job training. You learn more about yourself, and you acquire skills that will help you throughout your working life. But you also widen your horizons, learn more about what is going on in other places in the world. You learn critical thinking skills, and you learn to evaluate, critically, what you hear, see and read in the news media. For these children, it would mean greater understanding of their own communities and the ability to improve their lot because of that understanding. It might be growing or establishing a business community, or it might mean agricultural skills, helping to feed their village or province. It might mean marketing what others grow, distributing produce where people who need it can buy it. It might involve creating jobs for others. Gasp--it is something that might catch fire and spread.
In what areas do I need more information or education in order to make well-informed decisions concerning justice issues?
I would probably need in-depth examination of how Third World markets and economies work .And information about the state of education in those countries. And some understanding of how those markets/distribution networks operate. And most importantly, I would need to understand how those residents think and view the world, both their world and the entire Earth.
And honestly, at my age and given my limited resources -- however rich those assets may look to someone who lives in a Third World country -- it is highly unlikely I could do much for them. I don't have enough money to stop working, even for a period of time, to go to Latin America, South America, India or Africa, or wherever such spare living conditions exist. I can't quit working to just go there and teach, which would be my best bet. Ideally I could go there and do what I do best, which is to write and tell their stories to the world. Help them see beyond their village and territories.
And to love them. To learn to love them well, because until we do that, their plight seems disconnected from our own reality. When we love others, we become emotionally concerned with their well-being. We want to see them succeed, we try to help them up when they fall. We care, because we love. We love because God loved us. He loves us even when we stumble and fall, or deliberately choose wrong paths.
But if I could, I would try to find a way to get them educated, those children and all children, so they can make limportant decisions about their own futures, help their own villages and families rise up out of poverty, start their economies moving forward, working for them.
That could start a chain reaction. People who have been helped tend to be so grateful, they are willing, no, eager to go out and help others the same way. Not all feel that way, but enough do.
And honestly, we could learn a lot from them, perhaps more than we can teach them. They live a simple life with few material possessions, occupying a small footprint on the Earth, living in small communities where life is intertwined, with each other and with the Earth. Those are big lessons for us who are so dependent on technology, who experience the world from a safe vantage point and increasingly do not directly engage others, instead living life as if it was a spectator sport.
"Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth." Psalms 86:11
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