Why March 1, 2012 Matters To Me (And To You).

As you may or may not know, this Thursday, March 1^st, is the National Day of Education. It sounds like one of those bullshit fake touchy-feely holidays that the government creates to appease workers in a specific sector and make them feel special and recognized. It’s just one of those days that passes by and no one even looks up to see what it’s about; National Day of Education? What does that even mean? I have been guilty of a lack of awareness of this date in the past, but education is not a joke, and it deserves more than the false recognition that a passed-over "National Day of" can grant it. This year particularly it holds special significance for me and for many other students in the DC/MD area.

Education has always been an important part of my life. I grew up in a family whose socioeconomic status was always decidedly lower-middle class, at best. It at times hovered just above the poverty line. At other times, it dipped below it. Despite our financial situation, which has been dire at times, my parents never shirked on my education, or that of my siblings. When I was six we moved from Maine to New Hampshire and my parents specifically chose the town that they live in today because of the public schools it feeds into. Up until I was in 8^th grade, my father read to me every night before I went to sleep. Every class project I brought home was inspected for neatness and thoroughness. The importance of my education was emphasized to me at every moment possible.

I was lucky. My parents pushed me to do well, and I did. I got a scholarship, which is why I’m at AU today. My dad, a small business owner whose credit status is important to his ability to grow and maintain his company, put his credit on the line to cosign my private loans. My parents work hard every day, and they still don’t have enough money to pay for my college tuition, but they send me whatever they can, and sometimes, I feel, more than they should. I work an average of 55 hours a week over the summer to save enough money so that I can take out less than $10,000 in private loans every year. I take a work-study job during the school year, not for extra spending money, but for living money. Between my federal and private loans, I currently owe about $55,000.  Every year I submit the FAFSA and cross my fingers that this year, I will get enough money to truly afford school. And every year after I see the ridiculous amount of money that the federal government thinks I can give for school, I spend several weeks on the phone with AU's Financial Aid office, begging them for more financial aid money. I have felt overwhelmed at times, panicking and determining that I will drop out of college and work for a goddamn living. Then my dad looks me in the face and says "there is no way you are not going back to school. We will figure this out." And we always do. I manage to keep my head above water, but sometimes I feel like I am going to sink. Right now I owe American University $300 that I just don’t have, and my class registration for next semester will be blocked until I can pay it.

Why is this important? Why should you care? Because like I said, I’m a lucky one. Not everyone I know has managed to afford school. I had the sheer luck to be born into a family that pushed me and supported me in my educational endeavors. I have a secure job working for my parents every summer. They need me there and demand long hours of me, but without that job I would be about $12,000 further in debt than I am right now. Some kids can’t get jobs- most don’t get scholarships. Many didn’t have someone willing and able to cosign a loan for them.

So they don't go to school. And they never will.

This March 1, there is a student action in Washington. The students at our universities have chosen to band together and take a stand against the limitations that greed and inequality have placed on the ability of many Americans to get a good education. We are promised the Constitutional right of equal protection, and of equal rights. But we are not granted an equal access to education. We are discriminated against based on the socioeconomic status that we are born into.

This must end.

Students in DC have worked hard to identify and isolate specific grievances against our current educational system. We take fault with the commercialization of student loans and of the educational process in general. Banks and lending agencies have preyed on vulnerable young students for long enough. Corporations have had a greater say in students’ education than the students themselves for long enough.

I have had to struggle to pay for the education that my parents and I have worked for my entire life, for long enough.

On Thursday, March 1^st, the students of DC will march to the Department of Education and let this government know exactly how they feel about the financial burdens placed upon students in this country. I have made the difficult decision not to be there that day. For three years I have worked in education programs for underprivileged youth and have seen their aspirations destroyed by the inequalities inherent in DC’s public education system. I currently work in a preschool program for underprivileged children, and I have a duty to be with them on Thursday afternoon, helping them overcome the hurdle of poverty to begin their own educational journey on the same footing as economically better-off students. But you can be there. Everyone can be there. We can all unite to tell the Department of Education that our access to education will no longer be limited by bureaucrats and bankers.  Students, teachers, parents, and friends- we can all stand together, in solidarity, to protect the education of America.

For more information about the March 1^st action, please refer to the many flyers posted on the bulletin boards in the educational buildings on American University’s campus, or consider attending the Occupy AU general assembly meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) night at 8 pm in the main lobby of AU’s SIS building. You can also see event details on the facebook page for the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/238565269564240/ , or leave questions for me in the comment area of this blog.