Education

This has been on my mind a lot lately, and I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t write my feelings on it. My friend posted a picture on it, and I knew I had to say something. As someone who is interested in education and the learning of others, how we get educated has bothered me for some time.

There are so many things wrong about the education system in America. One, there is no reason why we should be trailing pretty much every county on the planet when it comes to education. We have top colleges/universities around the country, there is no reason why we should be struggling so much to get ahead. Part of the problem—in my opinion—is the amount of emphasis we put on extracurricular activities in college. I am not saying those things are not important, they are, but we make them a priority over learning. I recently read an article that we are the country in the word that ties athletics to college. Complete transparency, I am not sure if we should pay college athletes to play sports in college, but I do know what we are doing is not working, and something should be changed.

College and education are important to me. It always has been. It always will be. I get teased all the time that I am going to be school forever. I am not sure that is true, but I know I will learn my whole life. That being said, I love learning. It’s part of who I am, and what makes me tick. But I also understand that learning is not for everyone. Well, I shouldn’t say that, either. I don’t think everyone learns the same way, and I don’t think school is for everyone. Learning is for everyone, even though some may not enjoy it very much.

I will freely admit that even though I love learning, it doesn’t always come easily to me. If it’s math related, I am out. I do know what I need to know to survive daily life. I can balance a check book, and do quick arithmetic in my head. I am a writer, so I don’t need to know math. But kudos to people who love math, and that’s what they enjoy studying. People are made differently, so it makes sense that some people would enjoy math. I am not one of those people.

I always knew that I wanted to help people for my job. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a pediatric cardiologist. Until I realized there was cutting involved, and babies could die on the surgical table. Then, I thought a horse cardiologist. Again, I would be sad if one of the horses died in my care. I never wanted to be the President or the typical things kids want to be when they grow up—go figure…me be difficult….never.

When I was in high school, my guidance counselor really discouraged me, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go to college. Somehow, I knew college was important. I have come to learn that college isn’t everything. I know you’re thinking: “but you have almost four degrees.” Yes, I do. College is important to me. But, it’s not for everyone. My parents have five children, and I am the only one who has attended college. I joke with my siblings that I will get enough degrees for all of us. They are all doing things that are important to them. Kayla is raising a family—she is married and has three kids; something she’s always wanted to do. And while you don’t need a college degree for that, she learns each and every day from her husband and children. Sam is being educated from the school of life. That works for her. She is working and raising two children. Hannah went to cosmetology school, which people downgrade, but honestly, there is a lot to learn in “hair and makeup” school. Hannah knows a lot about a lot. Brady is a mechanic, and he knows more about cars that most other mechanics do. He didn’t go to school. He just knows the information, and if he doesn’t learn, he teaches himself by doing. Does that make what they are doing less honorable than me going to college? NO. What they are doing is important and honorable; it’s just different than what I am doing.

Not everyone learns the same way because we don’t all think the same way. If we did, life would be boring. Additionally, not everyone knows what they want to be when they grow up when they are 18. I don’t think I know what I want to be now…I do, and I don’t. When I started college, I wanted to be an English professor. I still want to work in education, but that dream has changed somewhat. I’ve gone through a few different job paths during my time in school. English has always been in the mix. For a time I wanted to work with kids with autism. Too much red tape. I wanted to be a forensic psychologist. I realized I would have to work in prisons, and even though I love forensics, I don’t want to expose myself to the prison system. I wanted to be a curriculum coordinator. Too boring. Now, I want to work in a university/college athletic department. I can work with policy in many ways in that area.

Starting a PhD degree happened by chance. After grad school, I was applying to English PhD programs. However, I was having no luck. I struggled on the GRE—the math section sank me. (Why do I need math to be an English professor?) Also, many English PhD programs like to accept students who attend their Master’s program. My Master’s happened by chance, too. While I was studying abroad in Greece, one of my professors asked if I would like to obtain my MA after I graduated with my BA. I wanted to be an English professor. I had nothing to lose, and I got to spend 6 more months in Greece. I finished that degree almost 7 years after I started because I let a professor and a thesis get in my way. (I still lerned something). By the time I finished my MA, I had two BAs and a MA. I was awarded that Masters on my Birthday in 2014. That was the best present I could have given to myself. EVER. After graduating and taking some time off to live life, I decided I wanted to go back to school, but I didn’t want to be an English professor anymore. In fact, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do.

Then, one day I was searching the internet, and it hit me:  I wanted to change education in America. Okay, so maybe not all education in America because that’s not possible. There is too much that needs to be changed. So, I started doing research on that. I found a program in Public Policy and Administration. People always ask me what that is. Texas A & M describes it as, “Public Policy/Public Administration is the scientific study of the politics of institutions, structures and organizations. The study of public policy focuses on the analysis and explanation of government and non-government responses to public problems. It seeks to explain how institutions, organizations, and the public interact within various governance structures to develop the policies that they do. It is also concerned with the evaluation and impact of these policies on citizens, governing institutions, and organized interests. Public administration is concerned with the organization, activities, and behavior of administrative agencies and officials in the conduct of government. Public administration includes the study of how bureaucracies interact with other political institutions, the political and legal context of administration, and how organization structures and governance structures affect the actions of government. Both Public Policy and Public Administration cut across the traditional fields of American politics and comparative politics.” If you know me, you know I hate politics, so I knew this degree would challenge me. When I learn something, I like to choose something that is difficult because it means more when I learn it. When I first started my PhD, I wanted to change education using politics and legislation. But again, there is too much to change and too much bureaucracy to create changes.

During my coursework, I learned that I didn’t want to work in politics. Truthfully, I hate politics. Like anyone, I have opinions on political matters, but I don’t share them. Because politics are a gateway to anger and contention. If I had to, I was going to be political to help other people have better lives. However, I learned that I can work with NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) and in other non-government positions to accomplish my goals. For instance, I am now a member of The Drake Group, which helps implore politicians to create better legislation for student-athletes’ education. I will be doing a lot of work editing. So, I will be working indirectly with politics.

My dissertation is tentatively titled: State-funded, Division II football players’ potential impact of future NCAA education mandates. The dissertation started as a reaction….Two summers ago my parents hosted Dalton Hoiles, a baseball player, who played on the Holly Springs Salamanders. After spending some time with him and other baseball players on the team, I realized the impact of sports playing on their education. This spawned research. Lots of research. I watched the documentary Schooled, which outlines the injustices done to NCAA athletes. I knew then that I wanted to help student-athletes get a better education. After all, it’s combining two of the things I am passionate about: sports and education.

To avoid bias, I picked football. But research has just made me more passionate about helping student-athletes get a quality education. Okay, this is not where this post was supposed to go…it was not supposed to be about me. It was supposed to be about how I want to help change education. This is what it boils down to for me: 1) not everyone thinks the same way, which means that not everyone should attend college. There are other ways to learn what you are passionate about, and there are trade schools, etc. where people can get a good education 2) It’s somewhat wrong that we expect kids have to figure out life when they are 18-years-old. Some people don’t know what they want to do what they want to do until they are older. I didn’t. If someone figures out when they are 23, and they start college then, there is nothing wrong with that. (As long as they are not being degenerates). My mom went to college and graduated in her 40s. We graduated together with our BAs. That is one of my greatest memories! 3) We rely too much on testing, especially at a young age. Some people, like me, are not good testers. 4) We have different strengths and weaknesses. I once had a boyfriend tell me all the time how much smarter I was than him. It’s not that I was smarter, even though my IQ was higher, it’s that I worked harder to educate myself. He taught me things about computers and technology…we were smart in different ways. Not everyone is smart in the same ways. We should learn from each other. I’ve worked hard to educate myself, and I want to share what I’ve learned. I am not smart in everything, so I need to learn from people who have different knowledge than I do. We should not downplay others’ intelligence. 5) No one should tell anyone else how to obtain their education. That’s not anyone’s place, but the person who is getting the education. We need to embrace people’s life experiences and passions and use that to educate them. My dad is top in his field in Golf Maintenance Mechanics (that might not be the official title), and he’s never been to college. He has taken courses to improve his knowledge, but he’s mostly self-taught about things he cared about. He learned basic mechanics in Trade School in high school, and his knowledge has grown from there. He’s a hard worker, and when he talks about what he does for a job, I feel lost. But, his skill is needed.

There are certain things that people need to know in life, and we need to teach those skills, but beyond that, people should determine their education.

(Future) Doctor Lehman is done ranting for the time being. (I am sorry this post was so long, but I am passionate about the topic if you can’t tell). If you want to speak more about education, I would love to talk to you. It is my goal to make education better for student-athletes now and in the future. It is my goal to make education better in general. I will continue to educate myself to do so—in a variety of ways and through many people.