un-equal opportunity

I've spent a lot of time over the years thinking about the fact that where one is born can dictate so much of their future. Had I been a female born in many other parts of the world my opportunities in education, travel, mobility (such as driving or even leaving the family home), a career, and so much more, would have been severely limited...if not completely unavailable. I didn't choose where I was born, but that simple fact made all the difference.

Here's the thing...American's find that easy to swallow when the problem is "over there." Not on our soil. Not in this county. No. We are the land of opportunity. If you happened to be born in to poverty, in America you don't have to stay there - unless you are too lazy to work your way to a better circumstance.

Since returning to the USA, I have been asking myself - is that realistic? I am not sure it is.

Does America offer expanded opportunity? Certainly. Can one work from poverty to wealth in one generation? Rarely, but it does happen. Given the reality of some people's lives, I don't believe it is a realistic general expectation.

I volunteer teaching writing to young women who want to go to college. They pursued the community college route within 1-5 years of graduation from high school. They cannot put together a basic sentence and paragraph to make up a cohesive essay. They were born and raised in this country and attended US public education institutions growing-up. They graduated with a diploma from such institutions. Are they prepared to be successful in their career and academic ambitions? Not even close. Why? Because their families didn't have the money to move to a better neighborhood, or send them to private school, or stop working and educate them at home. No, their life circumstances didn't afford them these opportunities...and unfortunately it limits future opportunities as well.

Yes, even in "the land of opportunity" the place you are born can dictate so much about your future...not just in education, but travel (due to limited funds and a lack of role models), mobility (due to unsafe neighborhoods), career, and so much more.

just Sheri, disappointed in the state of our education system