“I study nuclear science I love my classes
I got a crazy teacher, he wears dark glasses
"Things are going great, and they're only getting better I'm doing all right, getting good grades
The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades,
I gotta wear shades
I've got a job waiting for my graduation
Fifty thou a year - buys a lot of beer
Things are going great, and they're only getting better I'm doing all right, getting good grades
The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades I gotta wear shades...”
When I think about the Timbuk3 song “The Future's So Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades)” in 1986, I wonder if the artists were referring to their
immediate future or 2012? Unlike the UK artists, whose pop song made the
Top 20, students in our community may not have such a bright future –
despite the countless efforts of educators throughout the city.
If you've walked along Rockaway Parkway or Flatlands Avenue when school lets out, you'll see droves of kids traveling with seemingly no destination.
Some kids are pushing each other into the streets and others are
starting fights at corners and chasing each other into local businesses.
For the kids who don't want to go home and do their homework or get
involved in anything productive after school, it seems like they'd
rather hang out yelling in the streets and rob other kids' cell phones.
Are these kids, with their shenanigans, going to be our future?
What's worse, I've read, is that our economy isn't 100 percent ready for youths who actually have goals and want to make a bright future for themselves.
According to a CBS news report on April 28th, Schools Chancellor
Dennis Walcott responded to a statement that suggested eliminating
summer school could save the city $28 million. Of course, Walcott
disapproved of the findings, published by the Independent Budget Office.
The article also stated that last summer 34,000 elementary and middle
school students attended summer school. The Independent Budget Office
“suggested that kids who fail the state exam should retake it in June to
pass it and avoid summer school.”
Why are these kids even failing to the point where they need to
retake exams and go to school in the summer? Of course, summer school is
a vital program that allows students to redeem themselves academically.
If they know they'll be stuck in a classroom while their peers are on
vacation or enjoying two months away from hitting the books, the idea of
having to attend summer school should be a deterrent – but for too many
kids, it's not.
There are plenty of students who actually want
to get ahead and accomplish academic goals. Many are eager to graduate,
get accepted to the college of their choice and start their career,
despite the looming challenges of unemployment in their future
Still, the motivated kids are the ones who we need in our community!
Let’s get real – for some of those highly-motivated students, the future
doesn't look so bright either.
Where are your kids going to go after high school? If they're
planning to enroll in or apply to a quality college that will afford
them an opportunity to get a high paying job, tuition costs are soaring.
Some reports state that college tuition has doubled over the past 10
years. In today's economy, it's not enough to get any old job working in
a factory or just “getting by” the way it was in the late 1900s. It
takes a college education and a degree to really be successful and earn a
decent salary.
However, if your whiz kid doesn't receive a scholarship to an Ivy
League college, or if they don't qualify for financial aid to attend a
stellar state university, they'll have to take out a private bank loan
and that could take years, sometimes decades, to pay back. What type of
incentive is that? The high cost of education is another deterrent for
some students to get to their professional destination. Want to be a
doctor or laywer? Be prepared to spend many more years in school and
spend a lot more money to finally be successful.
The New York City unemployment
rate has been steady at 8.7 percent since last year. Even though the New
York State Department of Labor stated that, “From March 2011 to March
2012, New York State has added 155,000 private sector jobs,” the number
of layoffs (including teachers and nurses being cut from their
institutions) are outrageous.
In general, there are plenty of opportunities and prospects for kids
who decide running from the cops isn't the path to a decent future. Then
again, even those students who excel and decide to challenge the roller
coasters of this economy may have a not-sobright future. Put away your
shades...
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