The Little Boy Down the Lane

Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.

One for the master, one for the dame.

One for the little boy who lives down the lane.

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Let’s assume the master and the dame are comfortably well-off, but the little boy down the lane is not. Let me be clear; the reflections below are not set forth to highlight the conditions of the poor, by depreciating the lifestyles of the rich.

When our neighbor down the lane completes high school and tries to find employment, he’ll probably land a minimum wage position at a fast food store — and will quickly realize how dismal the job market is for him and will be surrounded by other minimum wage co-workers, whose average age is 35.

The majority are women of color, who work difficult jobs with few opportunities for upward mobility. The ceiling is low and the positions cause serious frustrations.

The people who live down the lane in Atlanta cannot care for themselves or their families on such low wages. Many are part-time employees with no benefits, and are sometimes forced to work the same hours as full-time employees. Roger Hickey says, “They are often men and women who hand you your change, clear off your tray and say ‘have a nice day.’”

In fact, Hickey goes on to report that 4.4 million Americans currently earn the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour or less, and minimum wage has not kept up with inflation. And incredibly, 284,000 of these are college graduates.

What does it take to gain a relevant education in the 21st century? Why do many high school students keep dropping out, long before they have received the full benefits of secondary education? What will it take to prepare them for the new demands of the market place and help them discover their hidden potential?

We have to have more partnerships between our high school students and the major industries surrounding them. Studies show when a viable industry is closer to students, it helps them to set more realistic goals for their learning experience.

Let’s borrow the idea that Chicago is trying, where the school system enters into a partnership with IBM. If successful, IBM will sponsor this experimental project in 29 more high school districts nationally over the next two years.

With this partnership, public schools will have to forge a collaborative cooperation among the student, the parent, the teacher and the guidance counselor. We will discuss the curriculum in the next blog. Until then, share your thoughts with me.

Will opportunities for upward mobility ever present themselves to them? Too many people are stuck on dead-end lanes, and we should help.

Rev. Joseph L. Roberts, Jr.