Coping with Hard Times: 'Culture of education' essential to economic future

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John P. Cleary
John P. Cleary

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May 26, 2009

Madison County no longer home to high-paying jobs with low educational requirements

Anonymous The Herald Bulletin Tue May 26, 2009, 10:51 AM EDT

By Tiffany Fry

For The Herald Bulletin

ANDERSON — Delco and Guide used to offer good jobs in Madison County without a lot of education. Those days are gone.

Tanya Tellis understands that all too well. Her parents didn’t go to college, and neither did she — until now.

“I’m starting all over again,” Tellis said. “I’ve been out of high school since 1994, and now I’m going back. With just a high school diploma, it’s hard to find work.”

Though education may not have been a priority in Anderson over the years, some educators believe the attitude is changing.

“The culture predominantly understands that you need more than just a high school diploma,” said Marc Boyer, a math teacher at South Side Middle School. “The majority of people I come in contact with understand that our students need to go to college to succeed.”

Tellis tries to emphasize to her children the importance of getting a good education.

“I help them with their homework and explain how important it is to know your lesson,” she said. “Once you know it, no one can take it away.”

Children’s attitudes toward education are influenced from the very beginning of their childhoods, so it’s important to help them plug into their academic potential early.

“As educators, we’re always looking at what we can do — how we can best impact student achievement,” said Rebekah Baker, assistant professor of education at Anderson University. “It’s really important for schools and caregivers to work together as partners.”

Communication key to changing culture

Another AU education professor, Suzanne Walker, emphasized that education should begin at home.

“An average child has been read to a total of 1,000 hours before starting school,” said Walker. “A child in poverty has only been read to a total of 25 hours. The more you’ve been read to, the better your speaking and learning ability.”

Better contact between families and teachers could help kids achieve, according to Boyer.

“The improvements need to come in our communication — how students or parents communicate to me that they want to go to college, and how I communicate to them the requirements for college,” he said.

He added, however, that perhaps not every high school student should aspire to go to college.

“It’s all on an individual basis,” he said. “I’m aware of a former student who understood his skills and knew what he was good at. He got training in his trade without the college expenses. He’s now a mechanic, and he’s happy because he’s doing what he loves.”

Some students get left behind because they think education isn’t important or achievable. In many cases, few others in their families finished high school or went to college. These students may feel like they can’t achieve any more than their parents did, which can keep them on the road to both educational and economic poverty.

Some students ‘afraid to succeed’

Dave Owens, guidance counselor at Highland High School, recalled such a situation.

“In my early years in counseling, I had an underclassman who was failing,” Owens said. “I asked, ‘Where do you see yourself headed?’ He replied, ‘Probably to jail — that’s where my dad is.’

“He thought that was his destiny — that he had no choice. Many students are afraid to try, afraid to succeed.”

Meanwhile, twice a week, Carlos Jacinto spends the day in the public library with his daughter. They sit together at the computer while he teaches her words using “Dora the Explorer.”

Jacinto said he plans for his daughter to go to college, even though he never had the opportunity.

“I believe the role of a parent is encouragement,” said Boyer. “If every one of us could encourage our kids to try things and discover what they are good at and what they enjoy, that would be a good step down the path of education — in life and in school.”

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