The Value of an Education

There's been a lot of talk about money and education lately.  Kent State raising tuition rates.  The rising student loan debt.  Cleveland's school reform.  And that's just this week's list of topics in northeast Ohio.  And there's good reason to talk about the two subjects together; teaching people is expensive, and better educated people tend to make more money over the course of their lifetime.  For this reason, we obviously end up at the question, "What is an education worth?"
If we're talking about extrinsic worth, measured in dollars, there's a huge difference across fields, with a medical degree usually leading to a much higher salary than, say, an art history degree.  Why don't we consider the worth of an education in education, or teachers, since they have been the subject of so many discussions around money and education.  These are individuals who both have an education, and are responsible for educating future generations; if there's a monetary value to an education, we should see that reflected in teacher salaries, because of their dual role in the educational system, right?  In Ohio, teachers must have at least a bachelor's degree, and often a master's degree, depending on the school district.  The average teacher's salary in Ohio is a bit shy of $57,000 annually (wage only), although the does vary across school districts, with many of the school district average salaries being between $40-50,000 annually.
Now let's think of not having a college education.  Just like wages of people with an education, the wages available to those without an education varies quite a bit, although not as large a range.  Minimum wage jobs pay $7.70 in Ohio, and at that pay grade, you would need to work 70 hours a week, or have two people both working full time in a single home, in order to make enough to pay fair market rent in Ohio.  And Ohio is an affordable state; in other states, it can take much more.  At the high end of the scale, manufacturing jobs typically pay $40-50,000 per year, and auto industry jobs pay around $54,000 per year.  These higher pay jobs for those without a college education are the ones that we in Rust Belt want to return and worry over their loss.
That's awfully close to what an average teacher makes, but without any cost associated with education.  That college education isn't cheap, either, and has risen 827% since 1980, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  This means that one can go into not insignificant dept obtaining a college degree, possibly an advanced college degree, and make a similar wage to what one could have without the debt and degree.  Maybe the idea of the dollar value in a college degree has been oversold a bit, and a college education has less extrinsic worth than we typically tell kids, especially high school students.
Considering all this, I still advocate heavily for the value in an education.  Why?  Because all of this ignores the intrinsic value of an education.  If you want an education for the increased pay check, then be careful and choose your degree accordingly, or go an alternate route that has a lower cost and is more job related- apprenticeships, community colleges, and certificate programs are great forms of vocational education.  If you choose to go the college route, then recognize that it may or may not pay off monetarily, and remember the intrinsic value of an education.  Better yet, all of us should remember the intrinsic value of education in general.  Education is different from vocational training.  A liberal arts education is well rounded, and much of what is learned is how to think, how to critically analyze, and exposure to ideas and people that a student hasn't had before.  For society, the value of an education is in having a populous that can critique, analyse, and argue effectively.  That's something from which everyone benefits.
Can we please stop selling a college education as a job ticket, and instead support higher education and make it accessible to everyone?  Can we change the discussion of the value of an education to a more accurate description of the real value of an education?

Value Being Evaluated

There's been a lot of talk about money and education lately.  Kent State raising tuition rates.  The rising student loan debt.  Cleveland's school reform.  And that's just this week's list of topics in northeast Ohio.  And there's good reason to talk about the two subjects together; teaching people is expensive, and better educated people tend to make more money over the course of their lifetime.  For this reason, we obviously end up at the question, "What is an education worth?"
If we're talking about extrinsic worth, measured in dollars, there's a huge difference across fields, with a medical degree usually leading to a much higher salary than, say, an art history degree.  Why don't we consider the worth of an education in education, or teachers, since they have been the subject of so many discussions around money and education.  These are individuals who both have an education, and are responsible for educating future generations; if there's a monetary value to an education, we should see that reflected in teacher salaries, because of their dual role in the educational system, right?  In Ohio, teachers must have at least a bachelor's degree, and often a master's degree, depending on the school district.  The average teacher's salary in Ohio is a bit shy of $57,000 annually (wage only), although the does vary across school districts, with many of the school district average salaries being between $40-50,000 annually.
Now let's think of not having a college education.  Just like wages of people with an education, the wages available to those without an education varies quite a bit, although not as large a range.  Minimum wage jobs pay $7.70 in Ohio, and at that pay grade, you would need to work 70 hours a week, or have two people both working full time in a single home, in order to make enough to pay fair market rent in Ohio.  And Ohio is an affordable state; in other states, it can take much more.  At the high end of the scale, manufacturing jobs typically pay $40-50,000 per year, and auto industry jobs pay around $54,000 per year.  These higher pay jobs for those without a college education are the ones that we in Rust Belt want to return and worry over their loss.
That's awfully close to what an average teacher makes, but without any cost associated with education.  That college education isn't cheap, either, and has risen 827% since 1980, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  This means that one can go into not insignificant dept obtaining a college degree, possibly an advanced college degree, and make a similar wage to what one could have without the debt and degree.  Maybe the idea of the dollar value in a college degree has been oversold a bit, and a college education has less extrinsic worth than we typically tell kids, especially high school students.
Considering all this, I still advocate heavily for the value in an education.  Why?  Because all of this ignores the intrinsic value of an education.  If you want an education for the increased pay check, then be careful and choose your degree accordingly, or go an alternate route that has a lower cost and is more job related- apprenticeships, community colleges, and certificate programs are great forms of vocational education.  If you choose to go the college route, then recognize that it may or may not pay off monetarily, and remember the intrinsic value of an education.  Better yet, all of us should remember the intrinsic value of education in general.  Education is different from vocational training.  A liberal arts education is well rounded, and much of what is learned is how to think, how to critically analyze, and exposure to ideas and people that a student hasn't had before.  For society, the value of an education is in having a populous that can critique, analyse, and argue effectively.  That's something from which everyone benefits.
Can we please stop selling a college education as a job ticket, and instead support higher education and make it accessible to everyone?  Can we change the discussion of the value of an education to a more accurate description of the real value of an education?

Fake it Until You Make it

Red, Pink, and White

No, not Valentine's colors.  These are the colors of political insults.  Communism, socialism, capitalism- we humans are *very* tied up in naming how we do business with each other.  Not that naming is a bad thing; names let us all talk in a similar way about defined terms.  Of course, those definitions may not be agreed upon, or may be open to interpretation, or may be misunderstood.  Since we often don't actively define our terms before engaging in discourse with others, this leaves a lot of room for misunderstandings and, quite frankly, hurt feelings or harsh arguments.  In the political world, this is even more true than most places.

So let's talk about a few terms that we see thrown around so often: socialized medicine, entitlements, communism, and welfare.  First, the easy one, communism.  The planet has yet to see real, Marxist Communism in any large scale.  Please stop throwing around the term, it doesn't mean what you think it does.  If you don't believe me, take some time and read the Communist Manifesto.  It's short, and not a hard read.  You might be surprised.

Entitlements.  This is guarantee of access to benefits based on established rights or by legislation.  It's not pejorative.  Note also that it's a guarantee of access to benefits, not a guarantee of benefits or the level of benefits.  In most cases (especially Social Security, MediCare, and MedicAid, the most often cited examples of entitlements), the benefits and their level is dependent on something- how much you paid in, working for a certain number of years, being a certain age, etc.  This isn't a "handout," this is access to benefits which a person has earned- just like your paycheck. 

Socialized medicine.  This is a medical system run by the government and examples include Great Britain's Universal Health System, and arguably the US' MedicAid, MediCare, and TriCare.  The Healthcare Affordability Act is not socialized medicine.  "Obamacare" is not a governmental take-over of medicine, the insurance companies are still privately owned, for-profit (usually) entities.  If you use one of the governmental systems, you still might not be using socialized medicine, as some definitions require that the health care system be run by the government.  This means that the doctors, nurses, and staff are government employees, and the hospitals are owned and run by the government. 

And finally, welfare.  On this one, I want to talk less about the definition and more about the concept.  Welfare provides a safety net for individuals and families through programs like the supplemental nutrition program (foodstamps and others), Temporary Aid for Needy Families, and heating/energy assistance programs.  These benefits are called "welfare" programs because we as a nation decided that it was in the best interest of the country to provide a certain subsistence level of living, or to look after our citizens' welfare when they are in need.  We do this out of the conviction- inspired by Judeo-Christian teachings- that humans, as social animals, should look out for one another and help the needy. 

The US has been heavily influenced by the Protestant work ethics, but we can't forget the even older tradition of community.  Can individuals come to rely too heavily on these benefits provided by the government?  Of course, but not every person will, and we can't predict which ones will.  The Protestant work ethic has also led to horrible things- think of the debtors' prisons, workhouses, poorhouses, social Darwinism, and forced sterilization programs.  Neither extreme- individualism or community- is perfect, it's our job to find the balance between the two that best fits the needs of our society.  And to try to remain civil and informed in the process.

Changes in Latitude

No, not in the geographic sense, for the foreseeable future, we're staying right where we've been.  Changes in latitude as in "freedom from narrow restrictions."  As in new-found latitude.  And lots of it.  It's amazing.

OK, so it's not the typical forms of latitude.  The latitude I've been giving myself lately is that of imagining.  Dreaming.  Thinking up new courses.  New assignments.  Field trips.  Lesson plans.  Exam question banks.  Quizzes.  Yes, I'm a complete and utter dork.  I'm fine with that. 

See, for some reason, I'm starting to feel a bit more comfortable in my own skin.  I feel like I can do this.  Like I can teach.  Be a professor.  Join academia.  And deserve it- because I have something to contribute.  What caused this change?  I don't know.  Really, I have no idea.  Maybe it was officially entering my thirties.  Maybe it was buying my academic robes.  Maybe it was the student offering to write a letter of recommendation for me, if it would help me get the job.  If one of my students is willing to advocate for me, shouldn't I be willing to advocate for myself?  I figured I probably should be.

And oddly, I feel ready.  I've spent so much of my time being an advocate for others, I should be great at it, right?  That's the plan, anyway.  I'm not religious.  I'm not spiritual.  I don't believe in predestination.  But I do believe in making the most of what you've been given.  The things that seemed like burdensome responsibilities I can now more fully appreciate as the training that they were.  What had been favors for friends, I can see as the horizon-broadening experiences they were.  There's nothing that lead me down the path that I chose; on the other hand, the path I took has made me an excellent candidate.

Now to show that to the world, and myself.

Tides of Change

Gah.  (I've been saying that a lot lately) 

Talk about changes.  God willing and the creek don't rise- I'll be Doctor Lisa Regula Meyer in May.  Some have already taken to calling me this, saying that since I am ABD (all but dissertation) I'm entitled to the honor.  I don't feel worthy of it.  I'm teaching as an adjunct at Hiram College this term, and my students mainly call me Professor.  I don't feel worthy of that either.  Those are titles for distinguished individuals who have lead charmed lives.  Not poor kids from a back-woods rural road and living in the ghetto of Kent, Ohio and wearing torn, old, tattered clothes.  It's been especially hard because I keep hearing so often that Kim (my sister) was so pretty.  So funny.  So kind.  So smart.  Starting to turn things around.

The whole thing seems so close but so far away.  How on earth am I going to finish everything I have to do before the end of March?!  And what happens then?  I know I'm taking the summer off, to work on side-projects, to write for my self, to have a breather after six long years, to remind myself what it's like to not have deadlines constantly breathing down your neck.  But what after that?  I have applications in, including one to Hiram, for tenure track positions.  Tenure track.  Why am I thinking about tenure track?!  I've gone insane.  And I'm sure the search committee is going to see right through me.  I can't fool them, the professionals.  They'll know I'm not one of them.  They'll no I'm not professor material.  They'll see the goofy scared kid underneath.  They'll know I'm not one of them.  I don't belong. 

And then what?

Six years.  A lifetime of work.  A mountain of student loans.  For what?  To be right where I was 20 years ago?  The kid that didn't fit in?  Gah.

I keep saying "Fake it 'til you make it."  But then what?  What if you make it and still don't believe it?  When do I wake up and realize it's just a dream?  Hopefully never. 

Bad News

There was an oversight on my part, and my petitions and declaration of candidacy has by disqualified.  On December 14th, 2011, the Ohio Assembly adopted HB 369, to converge the previously decided upon two primaries into a single primary, to write new district boundaries, and to eliminate the appropriation for the second primary.  On page 162 of this 167 page bill, there was a section added that read:

" (C) Any declaration of candidacy, declaration of candidacy and petition, or declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate filed by an individual seeking nomination or election for the office of President or Vice-President of the United States, member of the United States House of Representatives, at-large delegate and alternate to the national convention of a political party, or district delegate and alternate to the national convention of a political party that is filed for the 2012 primary election before the effective date of this act is null and void. The Secretary of State or the applicable board of elections promptly shall refund any filing fee paid by a person who filed such a declaration or petition.

A person whose declaration or petition is nullified and voided under this division who files again to become a candidate for nomination or election pursuant to division (B)(2) of this section is not disqualified as a candidate under section 3513.052 of the Revised Code and, if the person otherwise qualifies as a candidate, shall be placed on the ballot for nomination or election for that office at that election. "

There was no notice sent to affected petitioners, and I overlooked this provision.  I own my mistake.  Lesson learned- read legislative documents in their *entirety*. 

For now, I'm going to keep the Facebook page up (link to the right), and keep posting relevant information on here, because I can't guarantee that I've learned the "stay out of politics" lesson from this little trial.  If anything, this whole bit may have lit a flame.  Some people feel called to the ministry; in my way, I feel called to trying to improve my surroundings.  That's why I went to grad school- to learn more, and to apply that knowledge for the betterment of our society.  I'm not convinced that positive changes can be enacted through rallies, protests, marches, online petitions, and writing/emailing/calling our elected officials- they're too out of touch with reality, for the most part.  If we want change, we have to take it one step further, and put that much more effort into it, and be the change ourselves.  Or at least give it a good go to make them nervous enough that they'll listen. 

And let's face it- I'm just stubborn enough to try again once I set my mind to something.  So far, Dwight hasn't stopped me, and he hasn't shown that much interest in trying, either.  I think he just really wants to be a trophy wife.  ;)