Disturbing and Really Frustrating, To Be Honest...

I just read a really heartbreaking and upsetting article this morning. It presented the findings of a report recently published by the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth (DELEG). Apparently, 1 in 3 Michiganders - that's 1.7 million people - "cannot read well enough to be hired for a job that will support a family. More than 40% of those potential workers, all who read below a sixth-grade level, also lack a high school diploma."

It goes on to provide the example of Greenville. A refrigerator plant closed down, putting 2,700 people out of work. However, a solar energy factory came in, creating an opportunity to put these people back to work. Unfortunately, most of them weren't able to because they didn't have a reading level high enough to take one class at the community college that was required for employment - the class taught the new technology this company was bringing to business.

You can read the article for yourself.

So basically, the problem isn't JUST that there aren't enough jobs available in Michigan, the problem is finding someone with higher than a 6th grade reading level to fill the vacancies. I know this sounds bad but reading this makes me even MORE tired of the complaining when part of the problem for some folks is just that they can't read. When you're a kid, granted, it is the responsibility of the teachers and your parents to ensure you are equipped with those basic skills. However, once you become an adult, if you weren't blessed enough to have good teachers or parents who cared enough, you gotta' now step up. You're now old enough to recognize that there's a problem and only YOU can take the steps to remedy the situation. So, these people didn't/wouldn't get themselves more prepared and now it's someone else's fault that they can't get a job? Ugh. I know that sounded much harsher than I actually wrote it to be. Please understand - Michigan has lost THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of jobs. Our unemployment rate is more than 15%! And most of these lost jobs are gone for good. And it isn't pretty. I'm extremely sympathetic because Mark and I have seen some of our best friends get laid off for reasons only due to the economy. Mark's company has had to lay some people off so he's seen it first-hand. As a state employee, I am required to take 6 furlough days that began on June 19 through the end of this fiscal year (September 30)...and it's VERY likely that there will be a lot more of those in the next fiscal year, even as much as one per pay period. And Mark and I feel so blessed that we can still pay our bills and keep our home and have healthcare benefits.

But there are still some places that are hiring. Unfortunately, a lot of these available jobs are things people don't want to do, like convenience stores and fast food place. And now, according to this article, there may actually be a few more jobs available than we realized but people aren't smart enough (i.e. being able to read...)

And don't get me wrong, I realize that illiteracy is a huge problem nationwide, but the problems addressed in this article have a lot to do with the age of manufacturing here in Michigan, when people either dropped out of high school or just got passed carelessly up the ranks to graduate high school so they could go to the factories and work. Seems to me that education should have always been a priority, if for no other reason than to have a sense of pride and feel good about yourself.

Ugh. And fortunately, I received an EXCELLENT education and also was blessed enough to have parents who engaged with me, having me read to them and going over my homework assignments to ensure I was hanging on, so I'm smart enough to know what's going to happen next...I'm going to have to give more of my tax dollars towards new programs that the state will HAVE to put into place to get these people educated and up to par. Is this perplexing to anyone else when we're already paying money towards the state education system (that we don't even have children in yet) and now we'll have to pay more to educate those who didn't get educated the FIRST time????

And this report was just put out, so this is not COMPLETELY to blame on the manufacturing mentality. This is also poor school systems, horrible teachers, kids out of control because of no parent involvement...that's what is truly heartbreaking about it all.

Just disturbing...and extremely sad.

As always, thank you for indulging me....

Your Favorite Princess and Mine....*me*