I went shopping today after school and ran into a former student.  He was always one of my many favorite students. This student – I’ll call him Oliver – was not the kind of ideal student our education system seems driven to produce.  I have a real soft spot for students like him.

Oliver was a student who struggled in a school where every student was expected to be above average…. Where every student was expected to finish with a Regents diploma…. Where every student was expected to go on to college.  School discouraged him.  But somehow he soldiered on so he would meet our above average graduation requirements.  At several points in his career, I really thought he would lose hope and give up altogether.   I tried to be a cheerleader for Oliver over the years.  And yet – every time I saw him, he seemed a little more discouraged.

Let me tell you – meeting Oliver today was truly a joy.  Not only am I thrilled that he got that diploma – but I realize that he has found his niche.  He greeted me with great enthusiasm and told me how much he loves his job.  He is now working full time in a retail store.  He told me how the time just flies by and he never feels exhausted like he did in school.  He is already in line for promotion, and it is no wonder given the enthusiasm he has for his work.  Way to go Oliver!

I can’t help but wish we had been able to do more for him at school.  Why was school an almost insurmountable hurdle for him to get over?  A meaningless exercise…  Surely we could design a curriculum for the Olivers of the world.  A curriculum that would provide some practical math, business communication, basic science, etc.   New York used to have a curriculum that was supposed to meet those needs.  It was called Non-Regents.  Nothing like being defined by what you are not 🙁

Hey, I’ve got a news flash.  Not everyone should go to college.  Why don’t we value other career paths?   Why are we such educational snobs?  Why can’t we recognize that the happiest people are those who get to work at something they love.  Surely we can find a way to provide an education that will fit many different career paths!

Anyway – I am so happy for Oliver.  I hope he bears us all no ill will.  We really intended to help him…..