Barely Literate Futures
I don’t like to post “aint it awful” messages in Listening to Children. Most of what I hear when I listen to children makes me hopeful. But today, as Memphis children get ready to go back to school, I am looking over a set of stories I collected in one of our seriously under-resourced schools. We asked middle schoolers to tell us about what they imagine for their future. These young people were living in a zipcode that led the city in violent crime, and infant mortality. In the stories about their present life, there were stories about rat and snake infestations, about people shot in the street, and about being evicted from their homes. But when they tell us what they imagine for themselves in the future, we see optimism. Below, I have selected a few of their dreams to share with you.
Regina, 7th grade girl
Im twenty two years old and Im an animal doctor (veterinarian). I becae an animal by finishing school being old to graduate and go to veinary school to practice on animals then i became one. I want two kids one boy and one girl and i want my kids to become a doctor (human doctor). Because i want doctors in my family. I want to work two jobs i want to be a teacher also so i can help chrildren learn better break it down to them so they can learn how to do english, Math, Social Studies, Science etc. I love children and i love learning new things.
Keisha, 6th grade girl
Ha, my name is Keisha Johnson and I am 19 years old. In Two months I will be going away to college. I will be attend to Duke Colloge for 4 whole years. I am going to colloge to be a lawyer in the criminal justice. While I am waiting, I will be packing air bags and studying. Now that the two weeks are over, its is time for me to leave. I got my bags and said good-bye to every body. I got in the car with my Mama and she took me to the airport. I said good-bye to her and got on the airplane for 14 hours. When I got off the airplane, I got in a cab and it took me to Duke colloge. When I arrive I felt so happy that I was fanilly here, because I have waited 10 years, 2 months, and 14 hours to get here. I went in to find my Dorm and to meet my teachers. All of my teachers was nice and my roomate was very nice, her name was Tyrica Green. We was best friends she wanted to be a laywer to.
Lila, 9th grade girl
In the near future when I am somewhere in my 30’s I plan on living it big. I am going to be a career lady. I am going to have a PH degree as a Pediatrician. Hopefully, I am married and living in a huge mansion somewhere in Bartlett. I will be driving an Avalanche to Lebonheur. Which is where I am going to work at. Of course I will be helping my family because I will still be going to school to become a computer technician. I will still be saving up my money to open my own hospital. It will be called “Children of the Future Medical Hospital”
None of these students is on track to accomplish their aspirations. All three are far below grade level in literacy and in math/science skills. The prospects for them to receive the remediation they would need to become eligible for college are slim, and their prospects for finding a way to finance a college education are even slimmer. A large banner greets them each day as they walk through the halls of their school: “Every child, every day, College Bound!.” I can hardly bear to think of what it will be like for these children in two or three years when they discover that this is a cruel lie.
Some of the students in this school wrote more realistic stories about the future they face. The students below imagine working for Memphis Correctional Institute, or teaching and providing care for children in their neighborhood. At least one child has a realistic idea of how hard he will have to work.
Marcus, 7th grade boy
Well This Marcus in the future Am a grown up and am a pitbull breeder I have 3 boys and 2 girls they are blue, white, carmel, Rednose, they are very bad am going to cogelle and am about to get my masters and am going to work at MCI and move out 2 the great big houses and help my mom out to get in her dream house and have 2 boys and give them what I never hade.
Polly, 6th grade girl
My title is About My Life
This story is about my future in the future I’m going to be Respectful, helpful. I am going to get a edgecation and be a teacher to help other children be smart and how to be gentamer and yound ladies.
1.) I will take the children on a field trip to see how people on the streets live because they didn’t get a edgecation and didn’t stay on task.
2.) I’m going to teach then no to be like them people on the street. I’m going to try to own a build called a home fore homeless I’m going to keep them feed with colthes.
3) I’m going to parevied shelter to keep them warm. I’m going to keep their children safe. I’m going to play with them to keep them from running away.
Xavier, 8th grade boy
If I am a grown person I am going to have four jobs. I will never have an off day because I am a working person. I think most people doesn’t really works they just like to sit around at they house and don’t do nothing. I think people should always do what they suppose to do when they are grown. I think most people does not like jobs because they aint going to be nothing in they life. Most of the time I think people should be more right than wrong. People should always have a job or something before they think about the wrong thing.
Are these more realistic stories healthier? We want our young people to have high aspirations; they will never overcome the challenges they face if they do not have the courage to dream. We don’t necessarily want sixth graders to know how high are the obstacles they must overcome if they are to attend college and enter the professions. I am sorry to say that I do not believe Keisha will attend Duke University. Nor do I think Lila will found her own hospital. (Although I would be so happy if they were to prove me wrong!) But I am also hoping against hope that Xavier will not be working four jobs.
We can do so much better than this. Regina tells us how much she loves learning, and all of these young authors are smart enough and ambitious enough to make important contributions to their communities. What a tragedy that young people who love to learn are not taught to write. We could create an educational system where children from North Memphis would actually have a shot at studying at our elite universities. We know how to educate children. Its just a matter of people doing, as Xavier suggests “What they suppose to do when they are grown!”
Sad, but awesome, article, Marsha!!