6 July 2005

Give Them a Break

--by Mike Murray

I have never even met the woman. We're different genders, different ages. It's a fair bet that our views on politics diverge. Many of the choices we've made during our respective lives have differed widely. Although we probably have some things in common, we are dissimilar in many ways.

But I have nothing but admiration for her.

She's someone whom both liberals and conservatives should be cheering. She's a divorced, single mom raising three kids -- a couple of teenage sons and a younger daughter. She lives in Cleveland. She waitresses full-time.

And she's working hard to put herself through college, first earning excellent grades while completing preliminary work at Cuyahoga Community College, and now distinguishing herself at Baldwin-Wallace College.

I know of her through my wife, who was her teacher in several English classes at Tri-C. Allyson was a stellar student, one of those standouts that the person who coined the phrase, "A word to the wise is sufficient" surely had in mind. (Don't get me wrong. I think teachers are at their best when they help lesser-gifted students grow. Still, it's no doubt a pleasure for them -- now and then -- to watch the wheels turn in an exceptional mind.)

There is very little doubt about Allyson's cerebral ability. She excels in her classes. But she does more than that. Not content to simply get through the material in her courses and "spit back correct answers," she exhibits genuine intellectual curiosity. Despite a schedule that most of us would find more than a little hectic, Allyson makes time to feed a voracious reading appetite.

She seeks to learn for learning's sake. She values knowledge for more than what its accumulation means to her G.P.A. That's a remarkable occurrence these days. We should all be encouraged when someone like Allyson, whose life is way more demanding than most, finds time to aggressively expand her mind.

American education might be struggling in various and sundry ways, but Allyson is a welcome ray of light in a sea of darkness.

The road she chooses to tread is definitely less traveled. She is a single mother in her thirties, working full-time while simultaneously pursuing a bachelor's degree. And, although all of that makes her row difficult enough to hoe, Allyson has upped the ante by setting her sights beyond a B.A.

If things work out for her, Allyson will proceed from her studies at B-W to graduate study. She hopes to earn a master's degree, perhaps even a Ph.D., in English. Teaching at the college level interests her, and she's making excellent progress toward attaining the academic credentials that will enable her to fulfill that desire.

Think about that for a moment. Imagine a career path that requires progression from high school diploma to advanced college degree -- all while raising three kids as a single parent and working long hours on your feet waiting tables -- patiently striving to reach a payoff that won't materialize until the age of forty-something.

Wow. Talk about "keeping your eyes on the prize." Talk about deferred gratification. Every time I start bellyaching about some aspect of my life, I remind myself that the world is full of Allysons. When I consider what they routinely contend with, I sober right up.

Sure, like most people Allyson would probably like to allow herself a few more creature comforts, to pamper herself with a little more "me" time. Perhaps she'd like to move to a better neighborhood. But her goals, the inner motivations that drive her, won't permit such self-indulgence.

She works hard to provide for her children in the here and now (with the support of an involved ex-husband). She simultaneously struggles to achieve ambitious, long-term objectives. Allyson is a wonderful example for her kids; she provides them with life lessons of the finest kind. People like her are an inspiration to me.

The media love people like Allyson, too. They provide columnists and feature writers with potent content; they're great subjects for stories (sometimes, even, series of stories). You know the formula: common person struggles mightily to make good. Liberal writers get to dwell on the "underdog" aspect of their lives. Conservative ones get to speak of "pulling oneself up by one's own bootstraps."

There's something in it for everyone. Everyone, that is, except the Allysons.

Let me tell you something else about Allyson: she's a terrific writer. While a student at Tri-C, she won a national essay contest. As did CCC professors before them, B-W professors have come to appreciate her talent and her effort. (Truth be told, Allyson might one day be drawn away from a vocation of teaching to one of writing. Either way, society will benefit from her contribution.)

So how about it, editors and publishers? Instead of just using the Allysons of the world to fill column inches, how about letting one of them -- how about letting Allyson -- tell her own story? She's got wonderful things to say, and she would say them well.

Won't one of you give Allyson the chance to chronicle her own journey, to tell us in the first person of her trials and tribulations? Instead of merely applauding her efforts, won't you give her a break?

Doesn't she deserve one?