My husband and I are senior citizens, that's the common parlance. We married young, as we were reminded when we met one of my previous tutees from a very long time ago in San Francisco. He went on to Berkeley as did his sister. Now he works in Palo Alto for a hedge fund investment firm. It was very nice to see him again and to meet his new wife. He met her his freshman year and they hung out, became friends, became lovers, finally married. It happened a little faster for my husband and me but their eagerness for the life in front of them definitely resonated.
Anyone who questions whether the US needs new policies should meet young people like my young friends. They come from all over the world to become Americans. They work hard, they plan, they study. They are from China, Taiwan, Viet Nam, Pakistan,etc., as well as local students whose families came in the great migration of LDS people from all over western Europe. My lone student from last year was the child of a mining background from Wales and she was the saddest case I have ever had. If anyone thinks these bright young people who are Americans from birth are a problem in our country, that person needs to look at 17 year olds like my most current tutee. All her life her parents told her they didn't plan to have her. They told her they wanted to abort her but her mother had health issues that stopped that. Both of her parents earned GEDs rather than finishing high school and both of them tell her constantly that her aspirations are impossible to reach.
I cannot extrapolate my student's issues to the broader issues that face my country. Personal stories are not in any way data. We need all of our young people to be pushed to excel.
My youngest child is turning 37 on Wednesday--I remember planting 100 Elizabeth Arden tulips the day before he was born. Huzzah and hurray.
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