This past week it was announced that Michigan had not made it to the next round of finalists for the coveted Race To The Top education funding that the White House is dangling in front of state governments like a golden carrot on a stick. Immediately Governor Jennifer Granholm issued her standard and underwhelming official statement of disappointment and the finger pointing blame game ensued, most of it laying at the feet of the MEA (Michigan Education Association) union whose political muscle and enforcement ensured that a vague, unaccountable proposal was submitted to Education Czar Arnie Duncan. So once again education in Michigan takes a backseat due to its political officials' disinterest in educating its constituents, its unions desire to keep the status quo and its citizens welcomed ignorance and great interest in only things of a vice nature. In layman's terms, Michigan wants to keep itself stupid for a variety of reasons.
Recently I had to take a certification exam that was made available at no cost to residents who had been laid off from their employers. It was being proctored at two locations, both of which were 20 plus miles away. I called ahead to inquire what I should bring to the test and was told to bring a calculator for the mathematics portion of the exam. Out of habit (from at least a decade's worth of standardized testing experience) I brought several number 2 pencils. I was also told to arrive 15 minutes early for exam instructions. I arrived to find myself the only person under 30 years old in a group of 20. Most of the people taking the test were middle aged men and that wasn't a surprise since most employees in industries that have closed up shop in Michigan and 21st Century America (manufacturing, automotive) are men who are now in career transition. What surprised me was how ill equipped the group was for the exam and I'm not talking about exam content readiness. Right from go, the time the exam was set to begin was pushed back 25 minutes as we waited for one person on the attendance list to show up. The woman was well into her 60s and offered no apology for holding up the class when she eventually wandered into the class. The proctor didn't seem to care either. The exam was starting to feel like a graduation open house. Show up whenever. Two other people, who were nursing students, brought calculators and the same amount brought pencils. The standardized exam answer sheet, known as the trusty Scantron form used in schools K-12, colleges and skill certification exams nationwide, was handed out. That's when the disconnect happened. Myself and the two nursing students were the only ones who knew how to fill out a Scantron form. A middle aged melee ensued as people began to react to the Rubik's cube that was handed to them. It's actually a pretty self explanatory form but the proctor still spent the next 20 minutes guiding the class through filling out the preliminary info on the Scantron (name, DOB, etc). What takes 20 minutes to say? Well plenty when everyone talks over the proctor! I was astounded at how the minute the proctor said she would explain, everyone piped up seemingly repeating over and over how they didn't know what this was and oh, did they mention that they don't have a pencil? Well they don't. The proctored exam had turned into chaos.
I hung my head in my embarrassment since essentially this generation (and, gulp, the generation preceding it!) is running the state. No wonder the state is the mess to end all messes that it is. We used to snicker at the kids that showed up the first day unprepared for school. No writing tablets, no paper, no pencils or pens. They just sat there expectantly waiting for it to magically appear before them. Now it all makes sense because their parents are showing up to Life every day completely unprepared. No problem solving skills, no active listening abilities, none of the responsibilities assumed when you become adults. They show up empty handed and empty headed looking expectantly at the person in front of them, waiting to be handed supplies, their marching orders, essentially their lives.
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