Defining Education

Politics are not my thing, but  I do try to stay abreast of what is going on in the world.  I mean I have President Obama as a Facebook friend!  He sends me posts several times a day regarding numerous legislation items and initiatives on Capitol Hill.  I must say I only glance at the items and read only  the ones that are of interest to me.

Of course, being an educator, I pay attention to educational legislation.  I just received a post the other day about fixing the No Child Left Behind Bill.  This is a blog in itself, but we won't go there today.  He wants every child in America to know that as she returns to school in the fall that education will be America's top priority.  As a teacher, I'm  ecstatic to hear this, but perplexed at the same time. In my opinion, Senate Bill 5 doesn't seem to make America's educational system a top priority.  I guess my question is this...Who's not listening?  Is the president oblivious to what the state governments are trying to do?  Or are the state governments ignoring the president desire to create a better education system? 

I am not taking any sides here, and don't email me about any specific politician or political party.  I'm not going to engage in a Democrat vs. Republican debate.  In my opinion, about 90% of all of them are power hungry, personal agenda ego maniacs.   I'm just pointing out what I think is the obvious.   No one in politics can claim to put education first when they are contradicting each other. Increasing government spending on education won't do much good when there are few quality teachers left to teach our children.  When forced to choose between providing  for families and teaching America's youth, the choice is clear. Veteran teachers with families must put family first.   I don't profess to know the answers, but I do know every one needs to be on the same page.  We can't have various government branches fighting against one another; it needs to be a joint effort.   What we have now is a recipe for disaster.  The need to dissolve the party lines and start working together to make a better society for all.

And to the politicians out there who are determining the futures of the educational system, teachers and students, I want you to remember something very important.  As you cast your votes, I want you to think about all of the educators who helped you get to where you are today. The math teacher who taught you how to balance a budget whether you choose to do so or not.  The social studies teacher who taught you about history in the hope that you don't repeat the mistakes of our past.  The language arts teacher who taught you how to eloquently write Senate Bill 5 so that you can force her out of a job. With the exception of family, education dictates everyone's future.  You have enormous power in your hands.  I can only pray that you will use for the betterment of our children.

To the 10% of the politicians who are in politics to do the right thing, I applaud you.  I also warn you that the ugliness of politics will try to suck you in at every turn.   If there is one thing the other 90% hate, it is when others do the right thing.  It makes them look bad.

Make Every Day Count...
Denise