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A SUCCESS PRIMER FOR YOUNG BLACK MEN, PART 9

      Here’s a saying that parents have passed down to their sons over the generations: “Get your education, for it is something that society cannot take away from you, once you have it!”  An addendum to this is the following: “You can be excellent in whatever your life’s work will be, provided that you are willing to train for it!”

      Going to school on a regular basis, showing up daily for your lessons is a part of the training.

      During my crime reporter years, I interviewed a woman who was in the Indiana Women’s Prison for a long stretch.  I caught up with her several months before her release.  As we sat in the interview room, she admitted that her ‘career in crime’ started when she stopped going to school!  In prison, the woman got her GED, and a few college degrees to prepare her for life on the outside.  It took some hard bumps, but she understood the value and need for an education.

      I trust that you will as well.

      A few years back, I happened to be teaching an Algebra class.  Of course, I had a few students give me the: “Why do I have to learn this…I’ll never use it!” Speech.  To which I replied: “For the discipline of your mind.”  There are some classes and portions of life that you will run into that you may only deal with once—in that very situation.  However, just the instance of crossing paths with that class will sharpen your mind and put some grit in your backbone.  Plus, there is the ‘off’ chance that you may run into the subject matter again, and it will serve you well, down the road.  My young Black brother, lessons learned right the first time WILL help you!

      The world has changed.  It used to be that from ninth grade forward was considered your permanent academic record.  No longer.  Colleges and universities are examining grades from middle school, starting at eighth grade—and sometimes, seventh grade.  Thus, once you enter middle school, your grades will be your future passport to high school, college and beyond.  Further, more and more young people will have to master the basics—including technology.

      Yet, despite all the risks, illustrations, and ‘after school specials’ about the dangers of heading into life without an education, there are more and more young men who throw away their schoolbooks to ‘short cut’ their way through life. The Book of Proverbs is recommended reading for young men for one simple point; it is God’s way of teaching young men how to be wise in the path of life that lays in front of them.  One of the ways in which to be wise is to see the mistakes and missteps that others have made BEFORE you and avoid those traps and pitfalls.

      Colleges and universities operate on two things—grades and green money.  The better your grades, the better your chance of landing scholarships to pay you to attend the college of your choice.  In short, let them pay YOU to attend!  Further, grants are available (Pell Grants for one) that are renewed yearly and pay a pretty penny for advanced education, and you don’t have to pay Pell Grants back.  However, double check me on that matter, because in the old days, you didn’t have to.  The rules may have changed.  Lastly, there is such a thing as ‘work study’.  This simply means that you work a part-time job during your off hours (and arrange your schedule accordingly) and take care of your schoolwork during school hours.  This way, you can pay your college bills, and take care of any debt you may have in short order—instead of letting them ‘tackle’ you during your senior year when you should be graduating.

      My young Black brother don’t be swayed nor fooled by the social media and mainstream press articles about ‘how hard’ it is for teachers to teach in the classroom.  Those articles are written for those who ‘thought’ that they wanted to teach but found out that the vocation was not a good fit for them.  Further, those who write those articles may not have been good students during their days in school and are using their pens to ‘trip’ you up so that you won’t be able to compete against THEIR children.  However, this is another story, for another day.

      Bottom line this month?  Make sure that you talk with your parents, your teachers and your counselors about academics and careers.  Take the opportunity to ‘job shadow’ those career areas which interest you during school breaks or after school.  Somewhere along the line, you will have to ‘start yourself’ to take responsibility for your education, your grades, and your future.  Not listening to the adults around you now will pay off in a lot of pain down the road.  Even IF you decide on a job trade, there will be plenty of classroom work as an apprentice—and further!

      Some last points for the month.  My first: Be a READER.  Learn how to value and read books.  Put the ‘clicky-clicky’ down and visit a library or bookstore to discover ‘the classics’ and become familiar with history and the Scriptures through KJV Bible Commentaries and Biographies.  My second: Be a WRITER.  Learn how to discover your voice through the written word—more than the text, text, text bunch.  Those who can write will also stream into my last point: Learn how to be a PUBLIC SPEAKER.  There ARE those who—even in our AI and tech age—still get the chills when it comes to speaking before a crowd.  IF you master these three areas in your youth, by the time you hit college you will be well on your way to success.

      Recommended reading for the month: “Why Should White Guys Have All The Fun?” by Reginald F. Lewis.

      “It is terrible to observe the power which the fear of man has over most minds, and especially over the minds of the young. Few seem to have any opinions of their own, or to think for themselves. Like dead fish, they go with the stream and tide.          –J. C. Ryle

      “David couldn’t whip Goliath until he had first ‘squared off’ against the Lion and Bear.”  --Pastor Rodney Howard-Brown.

      Mike Ramey is a Retired Minister, KJV Bible Teacher, syndicated columnist and Bible Prophecy Specialist who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.  “The Quick Scan: A Success Primer For Young Black Men” is one of a variety of his columns appearing and abounding in print and cyberspace, written from a biblical, business, and common-sense perspective since 1996.  To drop him a line—or a whine—the address is still the same: mgmikeramey@yahoo.com.  ©2024 Barnstorm Communications International. With this 12-part series on the major issues of manhood, we are celebrating 2024 as “The Year of the Young Black Man.”