Education Chronicles ...

Seriously, each day I am here I am alternately astonished and underwhelmed at the nonsense that goes on in an average educational institution. There is never a dull moment.

For example, stealing things. Last semester we had a computer tower stolen off my floor ... we have open computer areas for students to use out in the halls and one night, a computer tower was stolen. The thief managed to carry down both the tower and the monitor (one of the nice flat-screen jobs) to the bottom of the stairwell. When security came around to check on things, they found the monitor still sitting under the stairs but no tower. Looking at my own computer tower, don't you think it would be a bit obvious if you walked out with a tower under your arm? Really. The reason why I say thief instead of thieves should be obvious ... if you had a buddy to help you out with the computer, you'd probably get it all at once, right? Right. No one was caught.

One of the professors on my hallway had his coat stolen out of his office when he stepped out. Mind you, this professor is not what I would call fashionable. At All. Nice guy, funny, interesting but fashionable? Not on his very best day. His coat was an average, normal, no big deal windbreaker-like thing. Certainly not high fashion. Stolen all the same. They managed to get his PDA in the theft, which ended up causing him hours of heartburn as he realized so much data was in the PDA that he, his wife and children could potentially suffer identity theft because of it. No, no one was ever caught.

Today I heard a story from some years back where another thief was intent on stealing a gumball machine (yes, a gumball machine) from the 4th floor of one of our buildings. On the way down the stairs (yes, stairs, not elevator), the gumball machine was apparently dropped. Picture glass, gumballs, change and gumball machine parts everywhere and you've pretty much got it. No idea who did it.

Lastly, the past couple weeks have been a bonanza of activity around here. A 27" TV was stolen (again, not small ... fairly obvious ... hello???) and now a projector. I wondered aloud why someone would steal a computer projector then I was told that it can apparently hook up to a television and provide a 'big screen' experience for football watching, playstation playing, etc. What do I know?

There are so many WTF moments that go on here week in and week out. It amazes me at times that we do as well as we do in educating our students when so much nonsense happens outside the classroom. As I was told in my first weeks on the job here, if you want to keep something, lock it up. Don't leave your office unlocked when you leave it. Keep your purse hidden.

It was just last semester that I was panhandled by an elementary school kid on one of our sidewalks. He thought it completely appropriate to walk up to me, a complete stranger, and ask me for $2 for bus fare. I just looked at him, quizzically and asked him again what he wanted. He repeated his request and then I offered to call his mom for him. You might imagine that was not at all his interest. He wanted my $2 for something or another, who knows what. I wonder if someone else gave it to him. I also wonder what he had witnessed in his life to have the balls to ask a complete stranger for money. He was maybe 7 years old, wearing the uniform of the neighborhood school.

Last year around Halloween time, we had a kid come to school in body armor as his Halloween costume. After a little incident known as Virginia Tech, we tend to be a little sensitive about body armor on the college campus. He was escorted off campus by security ...

Each week there are stories of panhandlers, homeless folks sleeping in student lounges, car break-ins and a number of other things. Typical life in an urban campus, IMHO. I don't get upset, don't get nervous but accept that I can't leave valuables out and I don't walk to my car alone after dark. That's the best I can do. No sense in getting uptight.

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The other day I was working on a grant meant to assist 'at-risk' students. We define at-risk students as those that are most likely to drop out of college without completing a degree. The risk factors are as follows: first generation college students, low-income, working thirty or more hours a week, single parent, undecided on an academic major or in need of one (or more) developmental course(s).

As I wrote down the risk factors I was thinking about my own early college days.

first generation college student check
low-income check
working 30+ hours/week check
single parent nope
undecided on an academic major check
developmental course nope

Four out of six? Yes, that was me.

When I asked the folks wanting the program why these folks needed additional help, I was met with 'oh they will drop out, have financial issues, won't finish college, too hard ... blah blah blah.'
Then I mentioned that I fit the criteria when I went to school and they said basically "yeah, right."

Was it yeah, right because my Mom was intent on me learning as much as possible from a young age? Was it yeah, right because I didn't "look the part" ... whatever that means? Or was it yeah, right because they honestly didn't want to believe that someone from these circumstances can succeed without direct intervention by a caseworker?

I must admit, I was aggravated. I finished college in four years. Finished my masters' in 2.5. Worked full time the whole time, as there was no other choice for me. I was paying for my education and desperately needed to keep the loans down as low as possible. Today I am still paying loans, and that is okay. That was my choice. But to say I could not have done it without a caseworker? Nah.

But to paint the lot of at-risk students with the broad brush of failure without intervention? Too much for me to bear.