I whine a lot about education. I complain regularly about the lack of a learning environment for kids in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I make much of the fact that the 37 school districts in the region all test below the national average; how all but four of those districts test below the state average. People frequently say I’m too hard on local people in regards to their kids’ lack of academic achievement and occasionally I even wonder myself. Then I read about someone like Sonia Sotomayor and I realize I’m not being demanding enough. More important, parents aren’t demanding nearly enough.
Sonia Sotomayor was nominated by Barack Obama to be the next justice on the Supreme Court. I am not about to get into a discussion of her qualifications or politics or personality quirks. I’m sure there’s plenty of history to entertain all comers in the weeks and months ahead. No matter what dirt comes up about her as a possible Supreme, this lady is the living embodiment of all that America promises. She is a beacon for other children ready to dream and work. She is also a sad reminder of how seldom we actually reach for that dream.
Sonia Sotomayor grew up in the Bronx, the daughter of a day laborer and a nurse. Even though her father died when she was a child, her mother worked two full-time jobs in order to buy the only set of encyclopedias in the building. Rather than grow up as gang-bangers like their neighbors, she and her older brother stayed home and studied. The older brother grew up to be a doctor and he’s currently an asthma specialist in the Syracuse area. Even compared to that sibling standard, little Sonia was an academic star. She went to Princeton, on scholarships of course, where she was chosen the top student in her class. At Yale she was a top graduate of America’s top law school and elected to its prestigious law review after a blind essay.
No matter what kind of justice Sonia Sotomayor becomes, she is proof that the American dream works. She isn’t the only prominent example out there these days.
Michelle Obama’s legend is the black Chicago version of Sonia Sotomayor’s. Michelle grew up poor in Chicago, with an older brother and parents who believed in education. The older brother was a basketball star who went to Princeton and is now a head coach in the Pac-10. Michelle followed him to Princeton, then she headed to Harvard Law and ultimately, the White House. She was another kid who grew up reading instead of running the streets. Michelle, her brother and the Sotomayors are just a few of the children who grew up in families which believed that through education, all things are possible.
Of course, stories like Sonia’s and Michelle’s have one unintended effect. They make the local school districts’ dismal performance irrelevant, don’t they? Think about it. No matter how bad the schools are around here, they almost surely have to be better than what’s available in the Bronx and Southside Chicago. The after school environment is also bound to be superior. What’s the answer?
I believe it comes down to the parents. If you value education, you can teach your children in almost any environment. Sonia Sotomayor’s mother put her kids in Catholic schools and had encyclopedias at home. Michelle Obama’s parents didn’t wait for the schools, either. They educated their own children, thank you.
That’s the lesson. Sure, we should pay attention to our school districts. Elect board members who demonstrate their regard and respect for education. Eliminate nepotism to guarantee hiring the best teachers possible. Spend as much celebrating your many scholars as you spend celebrating your few athletes. But most of all; learn from Sonia Sotomayor and Michelle Obama. They lived the American dream for one reason. They had parents who knew that real education begins at home.
Corbett
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