Despite His Full Plate With The Faltering U.S. Economy And The Horrible U.S. Foreign Policy - Obama Needs To Make Education A Top Priority - Now!
As folks wait with baited breath over who will be Secretary of State or Treasury Secretary, I am highly concerned about the department of education because as much as folks seems worried over the economy and foreign policy, I'm absolutely horrified at the state of education in the United States.
Education in America is in just as dilapidated and decaying shape as the U.S. economy and the two wars the United States is fighting and nobody is talking about. The U.S. educational system is in crisis and people are not connecting the right dots in my opinion. With the way the economy is going, you are really going to need a solid education in order to be employed and I mean more than a high school diploma.
If the retail sales industry, the auto industry, and the fast food industry suffer major layoffs and cutbacks, it's people with limited education that will be effected the most. And very few folks seem excited about joining the military these days and that is another employment bastion of the high school graduate. Many folks are going to need an undergraduate degree to get a gig and that is a problem if you don't have the correct preparation in K-12.
All these so-called "green" jobs are not going to be for people who are "greenhorns" in education and experience. The U.S. economy is going to rebound from the innovations and ideas of American citizens and for many folks that requires an education. Something that is becoming as difficult to attain as a good-paying job. Obama's Education Secretary will need to be a talented, smart, and passionate in order to make the necessary changes in American education.
Whom ever Obama picks to be his top education czar, they cannot come from Alaska. Looking at this little blog blurb on the state of education in Alaska, it's really no great wonder why Governor Sarah Palin speaks in complete gibberish and gobbledygook phrases.
2 comments:
Our country seems to take it's time preparing for our future. The condition of Alaska is appaling. Gov. Palin never tried to hide her issues with lack of knowledge. Perhaps that's why she was Gov. No one else was qualified.
The educational system will never be dismantled and reconstructed into something more progressive and worthwhile as long as teachers' unions and tenure allow teachers to kick back and let class after class fail to graduate or move on a grade. It's been revealed that most teachers quit after three years, resulting in a shortage of teachers. Why are these teachers quitting? Because children come to school with deep emotional wounds and baggage from their parents. I know from experience that I was not equipped to handle public school from 5th grade on because my home life was a mess, and when I went to school, I was tormented by my classmates. I imagine that this emotional and mental conflict occurs in many, many children--particularly black children.
All in all, there is no priority placed on education within the black (or even working class) community. Not only is there the stigma of "being white" but there are language barriers (AAVE, Spanish, etc) that preclude a child from feeling confident enough to reach his or her fullest potential. And even if a child can achieve much, there has to be someone in their corner to keep them motivated through all the strife of life--most children do not have that!
Back in the day, teachers took no sass from children, and they were expected to be respectful and were taught values, manners and morals. The teaching profession has become another throw-away job because anyone can become a teacher whether they have an aptitude for it or not, and too many enter the field for the student loan reimbursements and the vacation time. In my years of schooling, I've had less than 10 teachers who were truly passionate about their profession and their subject. The passion was passed on to the majority of the class, and as a result, those who didn't pay attention or refused to learn bore the responsibility of their failing grades.
It also doesn't help when children with emotional issues are deemed "mentally deficient" and placed in special education classes. Or, as in the case of my city, high schoolers can choose to leave a regular school and do "independent study" where they pick their own hours, but end up hanging out and not graduating.
Also, I really don't get the media's obsession with ridiculing Sarah Palin when half the people they idolize (celebrities) can't construct a proper sentence to save their lives, nor can they share their opinion in a measured, understandable manner. Maybe THEY should be criticized for their lack of education and their influence over the youths of today to eschew education for the easy fame and money so many internet celebrities, basket-ballers and one-hit wonder musicians have garnered thus far.
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