Dear editor:
I believe we are facing a crisis in education. The crisis is apathy. Yes, MEAP scores are rising here, there’s a lot of lip service about making education a priority, and everybody says they want to help. Yes, we need jobs, but we need good jobs. It starts with a good education. When was the last time you, as a community member, took five big minutes out of your very hectic schedule to write, call, or e-mail any one of your state or federal representatives, governor, or president and demand they make education the number one priority? When was the last time your board or school district offered to help you do this?
I would like to see this change. I would like to get everyone involved, in my district and every district. The world has changed and the only way to stay ahead is to keep learning, adding new skills, and helping our children by providing them with the tools and educational opportunities to compete when they enter the workplace. The aforementioned legislators don’t seem to have the backbone or the intelligence to do this on their own. They need a little prodding; they need a lot of prodding, sometimes I think they need a good beating.
I don’t want to just throw money at education; money helps and we do need more directed toward education, but your help is needed more than ever. Let’s do away with ‘homework? and make it more like home study hour, mom, dad, and the kids. Encourage your children to show up at school ready and willing to learn. Be a tutor, be a coach, be a cheerleader; you have skills and experiences that you can share. Every time you learn something new it feels great. Help our children to feel the same way.
Please get involved and stay involved. Mark Griffiths, Goodrich