This New York Times article really speaks to the struggles that many of my community college students face. It's tough. Many of them want to be successful in school, but they have many challenges: some of them work full-time jobs, some of them have children, some of them do not have any support from family or friends. For many of my students, I am the only support they have. Often times, I am a cheerleader and a coach. Working in a community college is truly God's work, for you are dealing with people and all of their vulnerabilities. I find one of the biggest challenges is getting students to believe in themselves. So many of them come to college having been beaten down by our educational system or even families. Unfortunately, on some level, we continue beating them down with these assessment tests in community colleges. The fact that the majority of community college students have to take some form of a remedial course should be enough to increase the financial and pedagogical resources at these institutions. Again, it is political. How many of these students or the communities from in which they hail have any real political power?
I think that is what is so remarkable about Mina Shaughnessy and Adrienne Rich--their ability to see in students what they do not yet see in themselves. I am not saying it is easy all the time. There are some days when I have to remind myself that there is a bigger purpose here than what I see in front me.
One thing I do admire about the young man, Vladimir de Jesus, featured in the article is his persistence. He still keeps coming back to school despite his setbacks. Students like this young man deserve our support for as long as it takes to fulfill his dream of going to Hunter College.
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