For the past year I have been working as a college advisor in three New York City high schools and two middle schools. In the past I have been involved with the Girl Scouts both in New York and Philadelphia. It was fun being able to teach them how to sew and do simple arts and crafts, not to mention the camping and the cookies sales! I was also a program consultant for a couple of years. That experience gave me a chance to conduct some career seminars where I was able to invite people from all walks of life to come to our meetings and speak to the girls and share their stories. The opportunity to work for a non profit and share this type of experience with both boys and girls in a school setting was something I was really looking forward to.

I already knew that the main problem with the students was a lack of interest in learning, which is why I was in the school to begin with. These students had behavioral problems, learning disabilities and there was a language barrier for many of them. And I was expected to get them interested in attending high school and applying for college. For the most part, there was zero interest on the part of the students, unless it involved going on a field trip. The problem with that was many of them were prohibited from going because a field trip was attached to attendance, and if students were not going to class, they could not participate in any outside activities. I found it hard to understand why young people could no longer see the value of an education. What was even more confusing to me was that they had a sense of entitlement and believed that everything they wanted should be handed to them without any effort on their part. On top of this, the students were primarily Hispanic and that created a language barrier for me. The few African American students in the program were equally uninterested. The first hurdle I had to overcome was to find a way to get their attention. Because I was at a different school every day, it was not easy for me to make any type of lasting impression.

My co-workers were for the most part, helpful, but unfortunately they really didn’t understand the meaning of teamwork. It was just as difficult to motivate them as it was the students, maybe even more so, due to the fact that nearly all of them were at lest 10 -15 years younger than I and were not interested in any of my suggestions. I probably sounded, to them, like a know-it-all. And it was just as difficult to build a relationship with them as it was the students.

The one thing that worked for me was that some of my co-workers were willing to refer some of their students to me. This made me hopeful that I would find some students who actually were motivated enough to speak to me about their expectations and what type of future they envisioned for themselves. But I began to realize, especially on the middle school level that the lack of parental involvement in the schools has led to a great indifference in getting an education. Many of the parents do not speak English, and are not interested in learning. They also have other children at home, and just can’t find the time to participate. There is also a fear (I think) of being found out to be illegal and maybe getting into trouble. Of course, there may even be some who just don’t care. How a parent could not care about their child’s education is very puzzling. But there it is. These kids have IPhones and mp3 players and internet access, but don’t have the first clue on how to do a book report or give an oral presentation. And it’s because their parents are more willing to give them things than to give them time. These parents are the first ones to get angry when they realize “Little Johnny” will not be graduating because he failed gym or has poor attendance.

On the middle school level I have to say that there were a few young ladies whom I met that were focused and determined and didn’t really need any assistance from me because they knew what they wanted. The young men, I am sad to say, were more interested in the girls and hanging with their friends. Some of them will graduate, but most won’t. And many of them are already 15 and 16 years old.

On the high school level, a few of the students expected me to do the work for them. Once they realized how much work was involved in preparing for college they simply decided that it would be easier to just get a job. Sadly, they aren’t prepared for that either. But there were those students who made me proud that I do what I do. For example, the young, nervous Hispanic girl who kept forgetting to bring in her mom’s w-2 form and then panicked when she lost it, the young African American girl who tried for Spellman, and wound up being accepted at five out of 7 state colleges that she applied for. Lest we forget, the young Hispanic man who wants to be a cop and got accepted to John Jay.

I was fortunate to be part of a generation who understands the value of an education. My love of learning grew from learning how to read at an early age, and sitting around the kitchen table with my parents and siblings and giving an account of myself. To be able to look into the face of a young person who is happy at being accepted in college and getting a nice financial aid package is a wonderful thing. When that happens, I feel like I did some good.

Lydia Sadler, MBA HRM

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