The world is full of problems and difficulties. Sometimes the problem is created by nature and other times it’s created by a person’s actions or beliefs. Nobody can truly know why something bad happens or the intentions that come with them, but our job as decent human beings isn’t to judge and persecute the source, it’s to try and understand why it happened and see if it can be helped. Recently in the news, you’ve seen terrible things happen at schools.
I’m not trying to tell anyone what to do or how they should act, I am simply trying to help others see a different perspective. When problems arise, the natural reaction is to hate it and break it. However, sometimes that just makes the problem worse. Sometimes in order to fix a problem you have to step back and see how you can help it. Whether the answer is to tolerate it or try and change it, there are different ways to fix it.
Recently at McClatchy there has been an issue that has concerned us all. I believe that this is something that we can learn from instead of it being something we fight over. This problem should give the administration an idea of what is going on in school and hopefully give them an idea on how to prevents further situations like it.
A big issue that has been mistaken is the subject of race. The Sac Bee and many other newspapers have been talking about how there aren’t that many kids of color in academically challenging programs. The issue isn’t that they’re dumb or can’t understand it, the problem is that sometimes they either don’t have the option or support to join elite programs.
For me, growing up was tough, I grew up in a shady part of town where education wasn’t a big priority. The priority was working enough hours so that your family could stay in a warm apartment/house and for them to be able to eat. My father had a college degree but it was from Mexico — as hard as he tried, people from banks and other higher-paying jobs wouldn’t accept it. The entirety of my childhood was seeing him working for hours on end at restaurants so that he could support his family.
As a result, I didn’t see the need for paying much attention in school because I thought it was my destiny to become my father. I know a lot of other people, both guys and girls, who felt and still feel that way.
A way for McClatchy to stand out among other schools and help this dilemma is by encouraging students of colored background to work hard for their education and giving them opportunities to see how they can help themselves and the people around them to help stop this cycle.