It has been my experience that most of the students at my community college are too under-prepared and/or lazy to pass college level classes. As a result, many professors make class too easy, and I become jaded as students complain that I am too difficult. I constantly gripe about the poor quality of students. Now at the end of the Spring 2012 semester I am giving final exams and have the strange need to point out some of the successes. Indeed, while most may not be college material there are others who wade through terrible circumstances to achieve their academic goals. The following are the stories of but a few students I've worked with this semester. I have changed their names to protect their identity.
Jose comes from an economically depressed family background. He is poor. Violence and alcoholism is common at family functions. He missed my midterm because he was cleaning up the blood from a high profile murder here in town. I read the news report. His brother and cousin got into a knife fight and one killed the other. Jose made up the exam, and did well. He is averaging a high B in my class and articulate the material better than many of the A students. He is bright and he works hard. I suspect that he will probably be the first in his family to graduate college.
Mr. Hamilton is an older student. This is his first semester back to school in 25 years. One day this semester he came to school with sunglasses and scrapes all over his body. Earlier that week eight men mugged and beat him. In that same week his girlfriend of 15 years passed away. He had a rough semester. Nevertheless, he responded well to my academic criticism and eventually turned in a final paper worthy of a perfect score. He earned a solid B grade this semester.
Sarah is an adorable Cambodian girl who strives to serve her family. She is the oldest sibling, and lives in a small apartment with her mother, grandmother, and three siblings ranging from 11 years old to under a year old. She is the primary care-giver for all in her family, including her sickly grandmother who she shares a room. Sarah also has medical problems of her own. She was born with fluid on the brain and has an internal tube that drains liquid from her brain, down through her neck, and into her chest. She lives in fear of minor bumps that could end her life. She has to get surgery every few years to install a longer tube, in order to keep up with her growth. This semester she faced surgery with the choice of no anesthesia or the risk of death. Nevertheless, she attends class regularly and always has a smile.
Jamal is a young man who defies the odds. At this college, black men have an average GPA of 1.8. When you take out the few middle class and small town black men, the remaining group has an even lower average GPA. I have had several middle class black male students pass my class, but over the past two years only two poor black men have passed my classes, and both were motivated by sports scholarships. Jamal has no scholarship to entice him - only his own desire and work ethic to pull out of the alcohol and violence that he candidly describes when asked about his family. He is not my best student, but he is among the few poor black men I've had in class that won't give up and keeps doing his best. He had a passing grade going into the final exam, well above the average for his demographic group.
Last, Cherly is probably my favorite. I met her two years ago when she tooik my night class. She is a reformed homeless methamphetamine addict, and has the rotten teeth to prove it. For several years she lived on the streets, in parks, and moved from location to location in pursuit of getting high. She has two children who's birth motivated her to change her life. She has been clean for four years now and serves as an officer in several campus clubs, and offers peer mentoring/tutoring. Recently she asked if she could list me as her children's emergency contact, which I found flattering. It also means that she has no real support here in town. She has clean up her act and stayed clean all on her own. She is about to transfer to Cal State Bakersfield where she hopes to pursue a career in social work. Her passion is helping other people overcome the past she intimately knows.
Each semester I meet students like these. Sure, community colleges may be overwhelmed by too many ill equipped, lazy, and financially parasitical students; but it also has some wonderful gems that motivate me to be a better teacher and person.
