Kristof Reflection

Being an adult comes with growth and understanding, as well as some serious realizations that we may have been blinded from as children. Growing up in a primarily white, wealthy town, I knew from an early age that my life was somewhat different than those of my peers. For example, I would turn some heads in class using my 8 pack of Crayola crayons rather than the fascinating 64 pack everyone else had. Kids began to notice that I used the same backpack a couple years in a row, and that I had to take the bus in the afternoon because my mom worked. You see, my family does well, especially for two hard working parents that brought a child into the world at only 18 years old. Granted, we were children and had no understanding of money, at some times I did feel less than my peers. Fast forward years later, and those same kids are now attending some of the most expensive colleges that they, themselves, do not have to pay for. Many students from families with a wealthy background might not have to think about life after college. In some cases, they might not have to think about how they are going to pay off their loans, or how they are going to get employed. A point that kristof made in his article U.S.A, Land of Limitations was that "talent is universal, opportunity is not." From seeing it with my own eyes, I'm sure most of us can agree that some just have it easier than others.

On the other side of the spectrum, a child from a low income family will have a harder time making that "top 25%". Some may say impossible. Allen Krueger from Princeton stated, "the chance of a person who was born to a family in the bottom 10 percent of the income distribution rising to the top 10 percent as an adult is about the same as the chance that a dad who is 5 foot 6 inches having a son who grows up to be over 6 feet 1 inch tall." Though this may happen, the odds are very slim.

This article was an interesting read, and has left me with some lingering thoughts. As a future educator, I want to make it clear with my students that their families economic status and history does not define them or their future success. Over all, I do agree with many of the statements made by Kristof. As the saying goes, the richer get richer, and the poor become more poor.

Here is a link to the article: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/opinion/sunday/nicholas-kristof-usa-land-of-limitations.html?_r=0