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A Path Towards a Better Future
for us, for our children and our community.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”- Nelson Mandela
Adult Schools, Needed or NEEDED?
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Arvin High School
Although many might see them as unnecessary and unwanted, it's still clear to see that adult schools have yet to be recognized as an important part of a better future. Especially in the areas of Arvin and Lamont, where they are nowhere to be found. Many might find them unneeded because they simply don't provide the prestigious degree that colleges and universities provide, and others may find education simply unnecessary. But whether we wish to admit it or not, a high school diploma is necessary, therefore making adult schools necessary. Adult school offers the building blocks of a better future by giving not only a high school diploma but also career opportunities. It's the building block since it can help you achieve a better-paying job than one that doesn't require education. Along with that, a high school diploma is also something that colleges and universities, not including community colleges, require as part of the registration process (“Why Bother Earning Your High School Diploma?”). Even if you decide to enroll in the army, some branches will not accept you without a high school education. A high school diploma is a show of commitment, resilience, and determination, and for those who tried even harder to achieve one after the age of 18, it is a key and a show of desire for a better future. A high school education is important for opening doors to more opportunities, better jobs, better pay, and a higher quality and happier future for you and your family.
Their fault? No.
Due to the education system of the United States, people who have lived here since childhood tend to forget how truly privileged they are. Here in the United States, there are constant forces that keep you in school, such as parents, laws, teachers, and counselors. These forces help the students stay in school until the age of eighteen, when the student has either completed high school with a diploma or without one. A child who has grown up in the United States would have a harder time dropping out of high school or graduating without a diploma than one who grew up in another country. Looking at the map, we can see that California, specifically the areas of Arvin and Lamont that are in Kern County, has a high number of children with immigrant parents. (Note: All maps are interactive; you can move and click.) In different countries, the education system is very different from that of the United States. Due to the population of Lamont and Arvin being mostly Hispanic and Latinos, it's easy to assume that most people, at some point in their family tree, immigrated from a Latin country, mostly from Mexico. People often immigrate to seek a better life for themselves and their children in a better, safer, and more affordable environment. Mexico has done much to improve their primary and secondary (the equivalent of high school for the United States) graduation rates in their population, going from 33 percent of students graduating in 2000 to 45 % in 2022 (ICFDN). The improvement is helping current Mexican students continue their studies, but it does not turn back time for the adults who went to school in the past and would have benefited from current support and resources. A person born in 1990 is only 32 years old today (2024); should they not get a chance to prove themselves? During their time in school, former students of Hispanic or Latino countries might have been influenced by multiple things that might have encouraged them to drop out and not complete their studies. The four main causes of this are: poverty, gender roles, indigenous groups, and shrinking education budgets (ICFDN).
The Four Main Reasons
1.Poverty
18 percent of the population in Mexico lives in poverty. In areas where poverty is a big problem, the number of dropouts is higher (ICFDN). This is because students often drop out to find a job or to commit to one to beat poverty. Poverty does not only affect the student's chance of dropping out but also the quality of education that the school provides. It shrinks education budgets.
2.Shrinking Education Budget
Shrinking education budgets causes the quality of education given to students to be highly decreased. That means that the budget spent on textbooks and, more importantly, teacher 's training has been reduced (ICFDN). According to the article EDUCATION GAP in Latin America, published by Educando, a teacher has a big impact on student success. Because of the lack of funding for teacher training, 24 percent of teachers do not feel ready to teach their students.
3.Gender Roles
Gender roles in Mexico have caused girls to be more likely to drop out of high school or even earlier. According to the 2022 article, 4 Barriers to Education in Mexico, published by the International Community Foundation, domestic chores and early marriage might keep a girl from attending school. This alone and having to keep care of family causes girls to be less likely to make it beyond the 8th grade. Similar to this, boys might be expected to step up if a father is missing or passes away to provide for the family.
4. school system failing Indigenous Groups children.
People who are from an indigenous group are likely to drop out due to their history of being discriminated against and excluded. Most schools are not designed with indigenous groups in mind, and most teachers do not speak their native language, creating a language barrier (ICFDN). Along with this, the education taught in the classroom may not be relevant to a child growing up in an indigenous community. Therefore, they might feel excluded by their fellow classmates and teachers (ICFND).
Since our community is mostly from Latino countries, which all have similar problems in their education systems as Mexico, it is easy to see why there is a large part of our adult community that doesn't have a high school education or higher.
It is not only those who migrated here as adults who struggled to achieve an education, but also Hispanic and Latino students. Hispanic and Latino students who migrated here to study also might have an issue adapting to the change. The language barrier might cause the student to struggle with their classes, communicating with their teachers and students, and making them feel isolated. This could cause the student to not put effort into their classes and extracurricular activities, causing them to not graduate.
The Story of a Parent.
I interviewed a woman who wishes to stay anonymous. She was 18 when she immigrated from Mexico to the United States with her daughter. According to her, while growing up, she had to travel miles to make it to school. After some time, she stopped attending school all together and instead focused on working since she had to support herself and her mother. She told me that once she had her little girl, she had to return to work, not even days later. She did this to buy the respiration medication that her daughter needed due to all the dust. That is when she decided to cross to the United States since she made up her mind that Mexico was not somewhere where her daughter could be successful—not in school or in health.
While interviewing her, she told me about how she needed to go underneath a machine (shown in the picture) to pass to the United States. I have passed this machine every day on my way to school and have never thought about how it could represent more than a sprier of chemicals. Now all I can see is a barrier that a mother went through to give her daughter a better life.
The mother doesn't have a high school education. You might be wondering why a person who passed through to the United States for a better life for her daughter wouldn't get herself an education. Well, it is hard enough for someone to get an education while having to raise a child. But it's even harder when they don't have the resources they need. In our community, most have immigrated from another country or have parents who immigrated here but weren't able to receive an education. Here in Kern County, we have few resources. Resources that are out of reach for many Arvin and Lamont residents.
Why not Bakersfield?
Bakersfield, as seen in the map, has the most and only adult education-supporting foundations in Kern County. And while it's a good thing that Bakersfield's uneducated adults are receiving support close to home, adults here in Arvin and Lamont might struggle more to receive that same support. There are multiple reasons why a resident of Arvin and Lamont cannot attend one of these foundations. The main reason is the lack of resources to travel from their location to the educational foundations in Bakersfield. In the survey that I conducted, most who said that they would attend an adult school in their area said that they couldn't in the past due to troubles like lack of money, childcare, transportation, and other reasons. An adult school in their area will decrease the number of obstacles in their way of life with a high school diploma.
Why should you?
Note: Some points had to be altered due to them overlapping. They are remotely around the same area.
Dreams of Arvin, Weedpatch, and Lamont residents.
While many people might be intimidated to start a new chapter or to enter a classroom again, you must be informed that attending an adult school and achieving a diploma have benefits that make all the cons worth it. A high school diploma can make a big difference in your life. Not only can it help you get a higher education, such as an associates degree or more, but it can increase your pay dramatically. According to the 2022 article “6 Advantages of Having a High School Diploma” by Penn Foster, a person with a high school diploma makes $10,000 each year more than those who don't have a high school education. It can also make it easier for you to land a job. Since the economy is competitive, a high school diploma will make you more desirable, meaning a recruiter is more likely to hire you than one who doesn't have a diploma (Foster).
If you want to add your input into the map shown above, CLICK THIS LINK: https://arcg.is/8WPWr0 (English version) or https://arcg.is/1vqPqr0 (Spanish version).
If you do decide to take the survey, please make sure to move the location to a point other than the one that it's automatically put in. Thank you!
These surveys are anonymous, names are not shown.
The HOW?
How do we get an adult education supporting foundation in either Lamont or Arvin? There is not a complete and absolute answer for this, but instead multiple different answers that have their cons and pro's.
1,The first option would be creating an adult school in either Arvin or Lamont. This would stop multiple barriers that I have mentioned,with the exception of childcare. The cons to that is that it would take time,persuasion, money and land.
2. .Another possible solution is to create a program that supplies the same things as an adult school, with the exception of having an official building. Back in the day, there was a program called the Arvin Adult School that provided classes to adults hosted in the Arvin High School; unfortunately, this program lost funding, causing it to shut down on December 19, 2004 (Arvin-Lamont Adult School: School Directory Details (ca. Dept. of Education). If we can establish a program in an area like Arvin or Lamont, we can have the benefits of an adult school without the cost of a building.
Newspapers clipping featuring the Arvin-Lamont Adult school
Teacher helping student
3. My last suggestion is influenced by the year 2020, when in-person school was canceled due to the outbreak of COVID. During this time, online classes took over the education system. And while it may have been a difficult time for students since it was all new and unfamiliar, time has made online education easier and faster to navigate. Establishing a program that gives online classes makes it so everyone with a cellphone, laptop, tablet, or any other form of technology can access these resources.
Conclusion:
I grew up hearing the stories of how my mother came here to give me and my brothers a better life. I grew up hearing about the poverty and hardships that she experienced and spared me from. Hearing the stories of how our parents sacrificed many things for us to have a better future is something that most children of immigrants often grow up hearing. When I was growing up, I used to wish for a way that I could help my mother avoid her childhood hardships, but I soon realized that it was the hardships that she experienced that made her the person she is: a strong, independent woman. We cannot change the past, and neither should we repress it. Our community is strong because of the hardships that its people have gone through or are going through right now. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't better ourselves. Many current adults did not get an education due to the environment in which they grew up. From my surveys and multiple research endeavours, I know for sure that our community does value education. If given the chance, they would attend an adult school to achieve a diploma and have career opportunities. I know there are more sensitive topics that can discourage an adult from seeking an education, like finding it unnecessary because they are undocumented and not being capable to work in the United States due to not having the permit or the 'papers' to do so. But even if there are rocks on the road, we must walk it. Not only for ourselves but also for our predecessors and our successors, who look forward to a better life. A high school diploma is the first step; you just need to take it.
Gallery of Arvin
- Arvin's Streets
- One of Arvin's business
- One of Arvin's Parks
- Old daycare, now someones home
- Field with cacti
- Arvin High water tower
- Mascot from a business.
- Field worker
- Busy streets by Arvin High
- Box near streets
- Boy walking to school passing the newly built school
For those who are afraid, afraid to step into a classroom for the first time or after being away from one for a long time, I have three worlds of encouragement for you:
SI SE PUEDE- Cesar Chavez