Every year, my school hosts "College Is Possible" day, in which college students and recent graduates visit each classroom to talk about their schools and hopefully generate some enthusiasm among the students for a post-high school education. Last year, the four speakers in my classroom attended UVA, UNC, Princeton, and Georgetown. I was considerably more impressed by this than my students were; I distinctly remember Tye'Quan* yelling "NO!" when a speaker asked the class if anyone knew what the Ivy League was. This year, my school district did a better job of soliciting speakers from schools that are, um, more relatable for my students.
Our first visitor announced her presence by step-dancing through the doorway and shouting some chant about her sorority. When she had finished stomping and clapping, she informed the kids that she attended Clark Atlanta University, and would soon be driving a BMW and earning $60,000 a year as a fashion merchandising major. I immediately gave her the old stinkeye, but my students were smitten. They listened with rapt attention as she described the pleasures afforded by a career in fashion, and gasped when she revealed that she once danced with rapper Ludacris in an Atlanta nightclub. When it came time for her to leave, Robert raised his hand (for the first time all year, I should point out) and asked if he could call her. She gave him a coy wink and said "I'm on Myspace, sweetie." At this point I was ready to slam my head, karate-style, through a nearby desk. It would get worse.
Next up was a clearly hungover communications major from Hampton University, who began his lecture by rolling up his shirt sleeve to display a brand on his arm bearing the letters of his fraternity. During his subsequent presentation, he professed an interest in horoscopes, and asked if any students knew their astrological signs. Tye'Naisha immediately sprang out of her seat and proudly declared "I'm a Cancer!" From behind my desk, I silently nodded in affirmation.
Our third and final guest attended Norfolk State, and did a fine job of relating how important it is to earn good grades throughout a scholastic career before opening up the floor to questions. Iyana raised her hand and asked, in all earnestness, what the consequences would be if one were to get pregnant while in college. Several boys snickered at this, but all the girls in the class leaned forward in their seats to hear her response. Flustered, the poor speaker looked to me for help, but I threw up my hands in resignation. She stammered out a helpful and nonjudgmental response and meekly left the room. With some time to kill because of her abbreviated presentation, I stood before the class and asked if anyone had any questions about my time in college.** When no one raised a hand, I turned around and started writing Math problems on the whiteboard, to a chorus of groans.
*Tye'Naisha's older brother. Other than a tendency to steal things from my desk, he was pretty manageable.
**I've already written about the occasional necessity of lying to my students, and fully expected to tell a few whoppers at this point. My kids are typically more interested in my personal life, and often ask me things like "What did you do this weekend?" and "Does you drink?" I always respond with something like "Do I LOOK like I drink?! I stayed in and planned fun lessons for you, and went to the library for a little while on Saturday! Now get back to work!"
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