Hope for Arkansas, boy I hope so

I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m a dreadful student. In fact, I told my Arabic teacher just last week, “I’m an asshole student. I’m more concerned with the material than the grade.” This is not the best way to go, but I’m a selfish academic and I’m happy to admit it. I have a hard time prescribing to a system that allots points based on tests to gauge one’s “academic performance.” I’m not completely calling out the system, at least not yet.

One of the things that helps me keep semi-decent grades is knowing how my education is funded. It’s not the best education and I’m not the best student. But someone cares. Someone has hope for me. Oh right, that’s me. I fund my own education. I’ve given up prescription drugs, sometimes food, but education comes first. At least this is how my selfish academic mind throws it, “learn, be challenged, grow, change.”

But I am limiting myself. Yes, I’ll lay the blame for my academic performance on my feet. It’s my dime, my time. But I have to worry about financing that work. I have to find a job or two (or three) to fund a home, food, and all those other things 20 year olds need for survival. It’s by no means easy and by no means fun. It’s dreadfully time consuming and expensive; not to mention embarrassing at times. The college experience, god bless America!

This is when I should mention that I vote. I’m registerred and I pretend to have a say in the system. I challenge the system, I rethink strategies, and I play ball. And up until recently, the Hope For Arkansas amendment hasn’t been on the top of my priorities. Sounds nice, but I didn’t know the details. I wasn’t getting updates by electronic mail. Then I read this article on the Fayetteville Flyer. I read, “You see, in Georgia, going to college is free for anyone who can hold “B” average.” Then I picked my jaw up off the floor.

Would this work for me? I could be modest in saying I’m not overly academic and scoring a B average at the UofA is possible. I could do this. I can do this. So, I support Hope for Arkansas. Yes, the amendment has moral issues. Yes, it could possibly, potentially, maybe pray on “the hope” of the poor to strike it rich. But maybe it will pray on the hope of the poor to get an education.

Then, maybe, I could afford meals and heart medication. I hope one day I can. Otherwise, I’m just going to collapse over this arabic homework, dead.