Well, I agree with points made by both of you, Val and Giftodd, although I do feel that words were being put in my mouth. I NEVER said everyone should go to college, I simply said that this girl who was primarily on the honor roll in college track courses throughout high school but earned a C in ONE class should not automatically be told she is "not college material". As you rightly point out, Val, we have no idea whether she is or not. I do think, however, that if she came from one of the white, upper middle class families that make up the majority of that school, getting one C would not elicit the same response.
Also, I clearly argued in the previous discussion that I believe talent DOES matter, and anyone who says it doesn't is being disengenuous. However, unless you are suggesting that she did not earn the grades she made, I don't think the fact that she works for what she learns rather than sailing through high school effortlessly means that she lacks the cognitive ability to be successful in college. As the previous discussion pointed out, ability is important, but so are other factors like motivation and persistence.
While I agree with the concerns about overindebtedness and the lack of support these days for well paying vocational occupations, I disagree with your statements, Val, that devalue a liberal arts education. Yes, they may pay less than majors that require comprehension of trigonometry, but they are still often a better alternative to working multiple low wage jobs with no benefits, which is increasingly the only thing a high school diploma is preparing anyone to do. Heck, my DH barely took any math in college and has experienced quite a bit of professional success and income. And he was also told in high school that he was not college material. And then there's my dad, also told he wasn't college material, who did become an airplane mechanic but went back to school as an adult to obtain a BA and is now a retired school teacher who had a positive impact on the lives of a lot of children and inspired my own appreciation of the value of education and a lifelong love of learning.
I think there are very real concerns with how both employment and education has been developing in the last few decades. We are seeing an increasing polarization between high paying and low paying jobs and because education is not funded fairly in our country there is an increasing class gap combined with a dwindling of employment options that can support a family without a college degree. IMO, the inherent inequality in public education should be the prime focus, but little public policy or discourse addresses this systemic problem in any meaningful way.
