Economic Inequality...Educational Opportunity: the chicken or the egg?

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Post Four of series “It is not enough to be compassionate you must act (14^th Dalai Lama).”

 

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Economic inequality

Below I have summarized the findings outlined in Barbara Ehrenreich’s  book, Nickle and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America:

·            No, you cannot survive and take care of your basic needs on a minimum wage salary.

·            The welfare system has unrealistic expectations of those who need assistance. (For example, the system assumes those in need can mobilize easily to apply for multiple positions in an extended radius).

·            Within the United States there exists a “culture of inequality,” where low- wage workers face daily hurdles and repressive measures that stagnate their possibilities of a stable lifestyle.

Dr. Ehrenreich set out to test her ability to survive and meet her immediate needs on a minimum wage salary for a period of nine months. She moved from Florida to Maine and finally to Missouri working in a variety of settings to cover her basic needs. This first hand account enables one to identify and understand the daily plight of the low-wage worker. After reading Nickle and Dimed I conducted a web search to determine why so many colleges and some high schools had chosen this book as a summer read. I found no substantive information beyond lists of reflection questions. However, this book did find its way to the reading list of my doctoral course on Economics and Leadership, although, as a group we chose to read Savage Inequalities by Kozol, an account of the incredibly poor state of public education in certain “unattended to” areas throughout the country. I knew I would get to this book someday and I am very happy that I did.  To stimulate change, who should be reading this book? How many policy makers and politicians have read Nickle and Dimed and would that make a difference?

Inequality of opportunity

The very same day I finished Nickle and Dimed I picked up the Washington Post and read Larry Summer’s op ed article (7/16/12), Our inequality of opportunity…. Summers first states that the distribution of income is far worse than it was a generation ago, and with the present state of the economy, this trend will continue. (No progressive made since the publishing of Nickle and Dimed!) He briefly outlines the progressive and conservative viewpoints suggested to alter these economic trends, but quickly moves to encourage a different dialog on economic policy, that of improving equality of (educational) opportunity. If we want workers to have better opportunities, shouldn’t we ensure that they can afford and receive a high quality education? Summers suggests that:

·            We improve public education  (wow! – a huge feat)

·            Universities continue to work to increase enrollment of minority populations.

·            With the same push universities have put toward increasing racial and cultural diversity, they should set in place policies to increase economic diversity.

I have not achieved much through this blog beyond summarizing a study and an opinion on the state of our economy with a suggested correlation to the state of our education system.  Is this a, what came first, the chicken or the egg scenario? Does the lack of educational opportunity create poverty or do the dire economic conditions make educational opportunities inaccessible for many? I wish I could do more; I admit that I feel a bit hopeless. Well, I did find  a new twitter follower (WeCanEndPoverty) to give me some ideas, and I have investigated when the next Literacy Volunteers of America training is taking place in my area. What else can I DO to make a difference? Maybe the courageous approach taken by the author of the next book I am reading, The Fist and the Heart, will motivate me to DO more to help change this “culture of inequality.”

Globalization and textbooks?

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I must say I have been pretty proud over the years of how I have managed to drastically cut the total cost of the textbooks needed for my high school son. It takes, patience and web research, but I always end up spending less than 50% of the total price of his entire book list, sometimes up to 75%, (I have not kept the exact data).  Oh, and I have always managed to buy “new” books from “used book sellers.”  However, today I was thrown for a loop and now wonder if in my quest to save money I am being environmentally unfriendly? Last week I purchased a Calculus book from Barnes & Nobel marketplace. The list price for this new book is $87.45 and I paid $47.32 plus 3.99 for standard shipping. When I came home yesterday and found a DHL Express sticker on my door indicating I had missed a delivery, I pondered a bit……. This book was the only thing I had ordered this week; why DHL express, I paid for standard shipping? Well the book showed up today (brand new, sealed and delivered!) in its express packaging and I noticed that it had been shipped from India. I checked my email confirmation directly from B&N which indicated that the vendor was from Florida and was being sent from there, Palm Bay, to be exact. So now I sit here and wonder, how and why did this new calculus book travel across the world and back? It is brand new and says “Printed in the United States” on the copyright page; and why was I told that it came from Florida? I would love to track the life of this traveling book….  So many questions, has the price of traveling the world and back already surpassed the price of the book? Should there be full disclosure on where B&N vendors get their products…. Not sure what else to think, and wonder how often this happens.

The Can Man

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 Post Three of series  “It is not enough to be compassionate, you must act.”14th Dalai Lama

The Can Man by Laura Williams

I think back to my childhood, the frequent visits to New York City, and the can men and bag ladies. I watched them, was a bit fascinated by their lives. I did not quite understand; I don’t remember asking, and I don’t remember receiving an explanation. I did know that they were “poor,” possibly did not have a home, and needed those can deposits to survive and those bags to protect their sole possessions. That is all I knew….would it have been helpful as an 8 year old or 14 year old to know more?  Why were they poor? What causes poverty? As I reflect back, I must say YES, I wish when I was young I had had the opportunity to explore at a deeper level what it means to be poor in the U.S.A. Perhaps this would have led me to DO something about it. Through this story, there are many important themes that could be explored with elementary school children. It is important as teachers to step out of our comfort zone and not solely stick to the easier themes of the book. If we don’t dig deeper into the tough themes, will these future adults have the same questions that I did, and will we have lost an opportunity to encourage young children to begin to understand the need for systematic changes in our society. Which of these themes do you think is the easiest? Are you willing to explore the most difficult one?

THEME 1: Who are the poor in our nation and how did they get there? Understanding the Can Man’s story will help students realize that anyone can walk in his shoes. That many times the circumstances of life lead to poverty no matter how well prepared and hard working you are. Let’s work to break the stereotypes and misconceptions that surround poverty.

THEME 2: What do we need vs. what do we want?  In my immediate environment, our children/students feel they “need” everything. They need an iPhone, car at 16, the most recent style of Nike shoes, or a pre-ordered copy of the latest book of the Harry Potter series. How do we help children understand the difference between needs and wants? What are true needs and why are they not easily met? Through the story Tim realizes that a skateboard is not a need but a want.

THEME 3: How do relationships and direct experiences help us to understand different perspectives? Do we encourage our students and children to develop relationships with people from all walks of life?  It is the relationship that Tim had with the Can Man that led him to empathize with him and to understand where he was coming from.

Understanding compassion in order to act…

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 Post Two of series  “It is not enough to be compassionate, you must act.”14th Dalai Lama

As we embark upon our school summer reading assignments centered on the theme-compassion, I find it important to contemplate what it is we want to “do” with this theme when we return back to school in August. Do our students know what compassion is? How are we going to guide students and adults from 4 years old on, to reflect and ponder upon some of the profound ideas and excruciating challenges presented in the books?  How do we ensure that this community journey leads us beyond simply reflecting upon a set of moving stories?

Webster’s online dictionary defines compassion as, “1. A deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering. 2. The humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it.”

Thus far I have read two and a half books on the list, and I do believe both through reading and reflection, readers will achieve an “awareness of and sympathy for another’s suffering.”  I have doubts about how “deep” the awareness will be, and although readers may “want” to do something about it, will they? This is not a defensive or critical statement on the selected theme, it is simply a push to encourage others to think beyond the story line, and move toward stimulating change. If we have between 1,200 and 2,500 people pondering, thinking, and exploring the ideas that surface in these stories, this certainly may lead toward a deep understanding of compassion, as well as serve as a catalyst of societal change. However, how can the educators of our community instill within these students and among ourselves a sense of urgency to use the knowledge gained to act and promote change.

I will reflect upon the books that I read as I complete them, however, so far I have learned that in order to attain this “deep awareness…for another’s suffering,” first  you must experience it, be a part of it, and make it your reality. Second, understanding compassion most likely will include a connection to the world you are experiencing as well as an ongoing relationship with the people within that reality.  In the world we live in this is important.  The road toward a socially just and equitable society is a long and bumpy one with many detours. As we read and explore these moving stories, how can we pave a road toward social justice and ensure that each reading does not become just a bump along the way…….