Michigan Adult Literacy Saddening

Edited to correct statistics previously posted.  See bolded items for corrections.

Pondering my last post regarding Michigan Works!’s TABE test (Test for Adult Basic Education), I felt maybe I came down a little too hard on the difficulty-level.  As I stated, it was supposed to test through a 12th grade level, but seemed far lower in my estimation.

Now, I’m understanding a little more.  The Detroit Free Press’s Rochelle Riley wrote a column today about the literacy level of working-age adults in the state of Michigan.  Turns out, 44% are not literate beyond a 6th grade level.

How sad.  No, not sad – maddening.  I’m mad that my state is in the condition it is in.  Over 15% unemployed statewide and greater than 17% in the Detroit metro area and nearly half of all adults can’t read sufficiently?!  I don’t even know what to say about that or where to go from here.  I’m so dumbfounded that I’m at a complete and utter loss for words.  Maybe I’ll regain utterance and post more about this later.  Arghhh!

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I’m back.  I’ve had a few hours to compose myself and think about to whom my disappointment should be directed.  Should it be the education system-slash-state of Michigan?  Should it be the employers?  Should it be the individuals?

Is the educational system to fault?  Certainly.  To some degree.  Afterall, as the article points out, our school system has to share the blame for “socially promot[ing]” students to the next grade level who were under-educated, and thus, undeserving.

As for the companies, the employers.  Some may hate me for saying this, but in our capitalistic, free market system, companies will hire the best talent that they can get for a cheap as they can.  This means that they do not regard the employees’ literacy or education so far as they are able to complete the job that is charged to them.  And in this state that is generally manual labor – manufacturing.  Basically, one need not know of the existence of Troy nor comprehend Homer’s (not that one!!) Iliad.  Please do not misunderstand what I am saying.  I do not absolve corporations for everything and play the “capitalist, free market” card.  Surely they must behave ethically toward those they employ, and in this instance I believe it is ethical for them to hire qualified, yet uneducated folk.  In fact, one might say it would be prejudiced for them not to.

In the end, I have to lay blaim mostly on the people themselves.  Are they unmotivated and lazy?  That may bee too harsh, but largely, I think yes.  There are adult educational institutions in which to go to improve oneself.  Were they motivated enough they would have gone.  You might say that they have hard, physically demanding jobs or any other excuse in the book.  Believe me I can sympathize.  I could only attend college part time in the evenings after long days at work too.

I attended a conference last week where I had the opportunity to hear Chris Gardener speak.  He is the man who was deftly played by Will Smith in the film The Pursuit of Happyness.  It was a film based on the true story of Chris’s life.  He was a homeless, single father of a young son in early 1980’s San Francisco.  He never once blamed anyone else for his situation.  He believed in personal accountability.  He had made choices that had led him to where he was.  He had some bad luck along the way too, but ultimately his predicament was his own.  Through much hard work he was able to rise through the difficulty and become successful.  I believe the same thing for the illiterate adults of Michigan.

What if they didn’t know they were as poorly literate as they apparently were?  In other words, ignorant?  In this case, ignorance is not bliss.  Life is a journey towards self improvement.  I believe we should always be looking to better ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually.  All three areas are equally important.  And in today’s world, securing employment increasingly depends on our knowledge and mental skills.  To have improved physically or spiritually, and neglected your mental capacity, will not help you support your family.

Thanks for letting me think my way through this post.  It definitely was an enlightening endeavor.  Please read the article and leave me your feedback – critical or agreeable.

Paradigm shift

I read an article last week in my Men’s Health magazine that really changed the way I look at finding a new job.  It also affected they way I view my time while unemployed.  You can find the article here.

The main points of the article are to use your time to work on your fitness, say yes to community projects that come your way, avoid jumping at the first job offers, and enjoy your time by planning something big.

Now, to discuss how I have taken these lessons to heart. 

Health: A few years ago, I was rudely awoken to my poor fitness when my sister invited me to run the annual Detroit Turkey Trot 10K race on Thanksgiving Day.  I had run this race every year from age 9-17.  I could count on one hand, however, the number of times I had gone for a run since my High School Cross Country career ended.  Fortunately for me I was smart enough to realize that a 10K would be stretching it so I agreed to the 5K instead.  On the day of the race, I was utterly exhausted after 2K’s and my sister, who had never been much of a runner, blew me away.  I ended up finishing the 3.1 miles with a time of like 36 minutes.

I was embarrassed.  Ashamed, I committed to a new way of life.  To make a long story short, I got a membership to a gym and started getting in shape.  (I’ll definitely make my work out renaissance the topic for another day.)  Anyway, the point is that I had already changed my life prior to my unemployment.  The difference now though is that instead of cramming in 45-60 minutes in the morning, I can take as much time as I want on my workouts.  I can also do two workouts a day, if I see fit to do so.

Community:I have many passions in life.  It turns out, my community had an opportunity that combines two of them very nicely.  As a tee ball coach, I have resuscitated my love of teaching, and have joined it with my love of baseball.  A friend of mine has been a little league coach for a few years.  Shortly after my layoff I approached him to see if he needed any help with his team.  To my disappointment he said he had enough help.  However, he gave me the contact information for the director of the tee ball league who told me about a team that did not have a coach.  Of course I volunteered, and now the Harper Woods Comanches are my team of prodigies.

Job offers: Sadly, this has been an easy one to live up to.  Aside from a couple of recruiter interviews, the job search has been rather slow.  In the past week or two, things have heated up, but nothing that has been a true job offer.  Having said that, I have taken the attitude that I am in charge of my own destiny.  I am having the time of my life with my family and baseball team, and really enjoying the summer sabbatical.  Most important of all, I am getting to know who I am – what I like and what my strengths are.  I know that a job will come.  And when the time comes I will be make sure that the job is right for me.

Something big: Planning big things can be a bit challenging with a very limited budget, but I do have a couple vacation plans for the summer.  In mid-July I will be getting together with my parents and sisters and our families for a trip up to Mackinac Island in upper Michigan.  Also, Rachel and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in August.  To fete our special occasion we are taking a road trip to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina to spend a week without the kids.  Just a quiet time on the beach by ourselves.  We are really looking forward to it.

In the end, the article from Men’s Health really started to spur a change within me.  I’ve experience a paradigm shift.  I’m happier and more accepting of my unemployment.  In fact, I embrace it and the challenges and growth opportunities it affords me.