Education
"Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor
justice can be permanently maintained."
James A. Garfield
"Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom."
George Washington Carver
I've been pondering the latest statistics on educational standing in the world. When I was in school, both elementary and high school, in the 1950's and 60's, the US ranked first in reading and third in math. The most recent evaluations show that our scores are now 17th in reading and 25th in math. And the top performers today are Singapore, Taiwan and China. We have to pay attention to these comparisons if we want to continue to be relevant in the world. The jobs of now and in the future are heavily concentrated in technology, which requires high scores in math and science.
Perhaps this does not concern you. My children are grown, and I will likely not have grandchildren to worry about, so I am not directly affected, but here is my concern--America and every other democracy requires an educated population. We hear our president say a lot about Norway--"Why don't we get more immigrants from Norway?" Well there is a very good reason for that--the more appropriate question would be, why would they want to come here? They have excellent schools and wonderful healthcare, and thus, a happy and well-educated population that contributes to that system of government without all the moaning and groaning about taxes.
The things so many of us are concerned about in America--like gun-rights, and deregulation of business, immigration, and women's reproductive rights--are not existential threats. Climate change due to global warming and an educational system that doesn't teach children how to think for themselves are, in fact, existential threats. By the time our children are fifteen, they have already been surpassed in math and science by kids in thirty-seven other countries, and our leaders are still telling us not to listen to experts in the fields of climate science and global warming. That's simply a garish display of willful ignorance.
It grieves me to see this happening in our country. The effect will be devastating in ways that we can't even comprehend because we are so consumed with wars and tariffs and domination. Education is the key to having an engaged society, one in which people are informed well enough to make smart decisions. In the words of Margaret Mead, "Children must be taught how to think, not what to think." When we are more concerned with prayer in school than we are in reading comprehension, then we have truly lost our way. When I see people who can throw a football being paid millions of dollars, while teachers have to march in the streets to get the money for basic teaching supplies, then it's clear why we are steadily losing ground. I believe we love our children just as much today as we did one hundred years ago. It's time to stand up for their right to have an adequate education in the richest country on earth.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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