“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
 Nelson Mandela

When I was growing up, we moved around a lot, like every one to four years, which meant that my experience with different school systems was pretty vast. I've been to some of the best public schools that any state had to offer and I've been to those that were not so good. Some were downright bad. What I understood later, when I was an adult and could appreciate the understanding, was that the difference in good and bad schools came down to two things: money and the willingness of people to make their children's education a priority.

I have occasionally come across graduates that had obviously “passed” from grade to grade even though they had not mastered the things they were supposed to learn in the lower grades. Too many are graduating with poor reading and math skills, not to mention with shame and low self esteem because they weren't prepared for life after high school. Case in point, I knew a young man who graduated in the same year I did. He finished higher than I did in our class. Yet he was unable to count a dozen apples to put into a plastic bag. Needless to say, he lost that job, as well as others, and had to settle for a string of menial jobs to support himself and his family. And this after having gone to a so called state of the art school. What good is a state of the art school if students don't get a state of the art education?

They say the reason they don't make kids retake a class is that in doing so, it damages kids' self esteem to fail them. Which is worse, the embarrassment of failing a grade to make sure they are actually ready for advancement, or the shame of not being able to find and keep a good job with a livable wage? Which shame do you think would linger longer in the whole of that child's lifetime?

To save money, schools cram as many students as they can into a class room. How can a teacher provide the quality one-on-one time with students, especially those that struggle, if they're too busy trying to maintain control of a crowd? Yes, teachers' assistants and student tutors help, but they can only do so much. It's the teacher who should be spearheading the assistance. Extra time must be spent with those students who need the extra help. But, again, the teacher is overworked and often overwhelmed, and all for a pittance in pay.

States are questioning how they can retain their educators. That's an easy one. Support them! Support them with pay that reflects their value to society, and make enough money available to the appropriating systems to pay for everything their classes require so the teachers don't have to spend their own money just to give their students what they need to learn the lessons the teachers try to provide. Also, this whole idea of forcing parents to pay for their kids' books is hogwash! I've heard too many lower income parents worry about how they're going to come up with enough money to afford books as well as supplies. Used books are fine, if they remain up to date and if they reflect a true used price. Some school systems offer different kinds of scholarships for the lower income families but all to often those scholarships aren't large enough to assist as much as they need to. Especially if the families have more than one or two kids.

We like to think that America is number one in all things so we make fun of, and/or grouse, because students from other countries are so far ahead of their American counterparts. Whose fault is that? It's because we don't put a high enough priority on the future welfare of our kids. All of our kids, not just those who can easily afford a private school education. Complain if you want about higher taxes. I, for one, would gladly pay a few extra dollars if it meant we were turning out young adults who are ready to face and take on the world. It would most likely save us money in the end because there would be fewer families forced to depend upon public assistance just to get by. And the adults they become can hold their heads high because they know how to read, and can put more than a dozen apples in a bag.

c. 2022