Tehama - The Magazine - Red Bluff Daily News
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/195321
Raising hope by expecting more By Kathy Garcia Education is a natural part of a community's landscape. We typically count on 180 days of backpacks and homework, field trips, and friendships, year in and year out. But education is more than what happens in school, and each community influences education, and the existing cultural attitude about learning. In 2009, a small group met for coffee in Red Bluff and wondered why more students weren't going on to college. They began to ask students, "Why did you go to college?" The answer was almost always, "Because it was expected." They asked adults, "Why aren't more students going to college?" The answer was almost always, "Because it just isn't expected." An expectation is a hope, and the group saw this as an opportunity to raise hope and see both students and the community benefit. Expect More Tehama was born. The local movement asks Tehama County to become engaged and excited about education, to value learning and to understand what the future looks like for our students. It aims to ensure that all students leave high school prepared to have options to attend the military, trade and vocational school, community college, apprenticeships, or a university. That preparation includes both solid academics, positive relationships with adults, and becoming familiar and comfortable with the very concept of higher education. It maintains that it is not the sole responsibility of our education system to teach and mentor our students. We all have a role to play. Rural areas generally have a lower percentage of residents with higher education. One of the most telling indicators of whether or not someone will attend college is simply their zip code. The closer you live to a college or university, the more likely you are to attend. With the loss of a major portion of the forest products industry during the '80s and '90s, and with the related disappearance of so many well-paying jobs, the north state has struggled to build a better skilled workforce. Higher education brings benefits to the individual and the community including less poverty, crime and health issues and increased business vitality and innovation. Now, more than ever, we need all students and residents prepared, not just in Tehama County, but the entire region. GROWNEY MOTORS 1160 Main Street, Red Bluff Serving Northern California Since 1922 We aim to please 530-527-1034 NEW & USED SALES • PROFESSIONAL SERVICE • QUALITY PARTS 28 Tehama - the Magazine, October, 2013