Taegan Goddard's Coverage on Mounting Defaults

This subject, that of an increase in student loan defaults, has been covered for several years on AEM. So, this won't come as a surprise to most of my readers, but student loan defaults are worsening.

Over at Political Wire, Taegan Goddard provided a short brief about the increase in student loan defaults. 

Here's a snippet:

The Department’s Office of Inspector General… blames a system installed in 2011 by Xerox that is supposed to transfer defaulted loan accounts from servicing companies to private collection agencies… The Inspector General’s office says the collection problem led to a ‘material weakness’ in the department’s financial controls last fiscal year, according to CNBC.

While this post paints a decent picture of the problem at the macro level, it does not offer insights into the emotional and financial turmoil that is occurring in millions of homes across the country. Alas, it is 2013, and I have high hopes for this year, high hopes for actual solutions. Who knows? Maybe those solutions don't have to come out of legislation or policy changes in D.C. After all, Congress is - once again (sigh) - at yet another impasse, because of the high level of dysfunction in D.C. One should really say they have created multiple stalemates or dead ends, instead of suggesting it is merely one impasse.  (And for the critics out there, who will quickly point out that this is "business as usual," here's what I have to say: D.C. hasn't always been this dysfunctional. This is a well-known fact inside the Beltway). In any event, it pains me to read these figures, as I can't help but think about the letters I've received, and continue to receive, that are filled with anguish, dread, and fear from overwhelmed, educated, and indebted Americans. 

Moral Fables: The Freedom of Love

These pieces are not related to student loan debt, but I still wanted to share them with my readers here. While I am working on my book, Higher Ed, Great Debt, which I just sold to Seven Stories Press, I have begun to explore, in writing, bigger philosophical and religious topics that I've discussed and contemplated for years.

Here is a snippet of the second essay from a new series over at Spare Change News. I am covering new terrain, and exploring big themes, such as lies and truth, love and hate, betrayal and trust, forgiveness and revenge, etc. (The first piece, which was about free will versus destiny, can be read here).

The following series of essays have been written while teaching ESL (English as a second Language) classes to adult students from all corners of the world (this writing exercise began last month, and continues to be a part of my classes). Each morning, the first class – that began this project – was required to answer one of two questions. At first, I was the one to ask the questions, but I quickly turned it over to the students. Their questions ranged from simple, everyday life things, like, “Why are you studying English?,” to complex, philosophical questions, such as, “What are the limits to freedom?” The class would write for an hour, and I would join them. We would listen to the Gypsy Kings, U2, Coldplay, Tango, and much more. Once we were through, we would read our responses aloud, and then have a conversation about each person’s analysis. It was humbling to hear from people from Saudi Arabia, Korea, Thailand, Turkey, and elsewhere. All our answers were motivated by a desire to convey an honest, open response, and everyone had an earnest desire to share with the others. As mentioned already, I continue to carry out this exercise with my new classes. It is a thrilling experience, and when I am away from the classroom during the weekend, all I can think about is this: “I can’t wait to be back at work on Monday, so that I can write with all of my students, and then share!”

As mentioned already, I continue to carry out this exercise with my new classes. It is a thrilling experience, and when I am away from the classroom during the weekend, all I can think about is this: “I can’t wait to be back at work on Monday, so that I can write with all of my students, and then share!”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only can light do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

What is love? This question has been asked throughout the ages by essentially every civilization. Indeed, philosophers have spent decades dissecting the idea.

Now, even scientists concern themselves with the question: what is love? Not only do scientists trouble themselves – doctors and engineers, teachers and students, peasants and farmers – ask the same question: what is love? All of them are anxious to know.

When it comes to the scientists, they remain puzzled. Despite our advancements in technology and science, as well as our hyper-modernism, the question remains hidden, a riddle that only jesters and those filled with laughter understand. This very fact, that it can’t seem to be understood, except by the jesters and jokers (not the most brilliant minds), makes it all the more powerful. Of course, most of us can understand romantic love, and I presume many of you in the classroom have experienced the sensation of falling in love. Perhaps some of you have even fallen in love at first sight. And, yes, this is possible, because our beloved scientists have been able to explain the chemical reasons behind falling in love at first sight. Based upon their findings, instant love is like a cocaine addict getting a fix. But instead of a foreign substance, a harmful one at that, love is caused by the immediate release of oxytocin, vasopressin, and dopamine into the brain. These chemicals are associated with centers of pleasure in our mind. While our dear scientists have done a superb job in providing the causal evidence behind falling in love, they still fail to truly pinpoint the profound mystery that causes one individual to fall madly in love with another.

Just as our beloved scientists have difficulty unpacking the mystery, they also fail to tell us how and why people fall out of love. People, over time – as we know – fall out of love. It collapses just like that. This can be particularly painful if one person remains in love, but the person has, for whatever reason, turned off his heart. It can be a sad occurrence, and I hope that none of you ever go through that sort of heartbreak. It can be so severe, that you might find yourself convinced that you will die. But even if you have or will – and my sincerest condolences if this happens – experience heartbreak, love is so powerful that human beings can overcome the loss, move on, and fine new love.

Read the entire piece here.  

Gustav Klimt, The Kiss (1907 - 1908)

Moral Fables: Free Will Vs. Destiny

These pieces are not related to student loan debt, but I still wanted to share them with my readers here. While I am working on my book, Higher Ed, Great Debt, which I just sold to Seven Stories Press, I have begun to explore, in writing, bigger philosophical and religious topics that I've discussed and contemplated for years.

Here is the first of a new series on important, life themes, such as lies and truth, love and hate, forgiveness and revenge, etc.

Below is a snippet. The piece can be read in its entirety here.

The following series of essays have been written while teaching ESL (English as a second Language) classes to adult students from all corners of the world (this writing exercise began last month, and continues to be a part of my classes). Each morning, the first class – that began this project – was required to answer one of two questions. At first, I was the one to ask the questions, but I quickly turned it over to the students. Their questions ranged from simple, everyday life things, like, “Why are you studying English?,” to complex, philosophical questions, such as, “What are the limits to freedom?” The class would write for an hour, and I would join them. We would listen to the Gypsy Kings, U2, Coldplay, Tango, and much more. Once we were through, we would read our responses aloud, and then have a conversation about each person’s analysis. It was humbling to hear from people from Saudi Arabia, Korea, Thailand, Turkey, and elsewhere. All our answers were motivated by a desire to convey an honest, open response, and everyone had an earnest desire to share with the others. As mentioned already, I continue to carry out this exercise with my new classes. It is a thrilling experience, and when I am away from the classroom during the weekend, all I can think about is this: “I can’t wait to be back at work on Monday, so that I can write with all of my students, and then share!”

Like so many complex, philosophical ideas, these two concepts – free will versus destiny – have been explained tirelessly by the greatest minds. (Mind you, when I refer to great minds, I don’t just mean sagely philosophers). Regardless of a person’s station in life, human beings think about, debate, and question how or even if there are intersecting points between free will and destiny.

Each human mind conceives of these two things in a peculiar way. In addition, a person’s cultural background and – most importantly – the particular moment in time (what historians call historical context) in which she finds herself, informs her understanding of free will versus destiny.

So, the peasant from, say, Peru might think about free will versus destiny differently than a surgeon who sews up bodies in Los Angeles, California. However, both individuals might just consider it in such a way that intersects with a teacher who works in Denver, Colorado. In a word, perhaps at heart, all three of these people think about free will versus destiny in the exact same way.

Jan Havicksz's Twelfth Night Feast (1662)

Book Sold On Behalf of the Indentured Educated Class . . .

I am so pleased to announce that I just sold my book about the student loan debt crisis to Seven Stories Press. This is a great opportunity to widen the reach of our message, and it is a privilege to be working with such an amazing publishing house. The book's title is Higher Ed, Greater Debt: The Student Loan Crisis, and I am honored that Barbara Ehrenreich will be writing the Foreword (she also played a pivotal role in supporting my work through the Economic Hardship and Reporting Project, which funded my article, "The Ones We Lost." Author Gary Rivlin, along with Barbara, were editors for that piece). I will be finishing the book this year, working with my editor Crystal Yakacki, with plans for it to be published in 2014.

I want to publicly thank my literary agent, Diana Finch, who believes strongly in our cause. While books have one person's name on the cover, they are part of collective consciousness. Diana has played a crucial role in the development of this story, as have a number of others.  I could not write this book without them.

Thanks to those of you who continue to support All Education Matters!

Fundraising: AEM's renewal is around the corner!

It is that time of the year again, and I am thrilled, because AEM is still going strong, and it will only get better this year. My dues/fees are right around the corner, so it is fundraising season for AEM! My favorite time of the year. Ha. Ahem . . . Anyway, if you can chip in, this will enable me to renew, I would be most grateful. I will be paying for the bulk of the renewal fees, but every little cent helps. Thank you all for supporting this cause!