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Be [Opinionated] Our Children, Our Future: What's Going On?
“I believe that children are our future, Teach them well and let them lead the way” -Whitney Houston, Greatest Love Of All
Recently, many media outlets have started to focus their attention on the growing gaps and problems in the American School System. From charter schools and private academies, to online courses and homeschooling, our children have a so many ways to gain an education; yet to some, it seems they are still being robbed of the knowledge they really need. Over the past decade, films like Waiting for Superman and government rulings, like the infamous, No Child Left Behind Act passed by President G. W. Bush in 2001, have put the spotlight on the lack of equality in our nation’s schools. Concerned parents feel that this is unacceptable. How can one of the most powerful countries in the WORLD lack in education? How can we as a nation pass along our war strategies with other nations but forgo passing on our rich histories and new technologies to our future generations? It seems that we have almost placed our children on auto-pilot when it comes to education. The days of the parent-teacher conference are almost extinct, along with the PTA, and community assemblies. Our children are already raising themselves at home, due to the burden of the economy on their parents, but should the burden be placed on them to teach themselves too?
My nephew is nine years old and when he brought home a less than perfect report card last year, I asked him why he felt he didn’t make the honor roll. He told me he tried and the teacher failed him anyway. I then asked him was he having any problems understanding in class. He informed me that he has problems reading and comprehending and he told his teacher about these problems and he received no extra attention. So who’s to blame? Can I really be upset with the teacher whose classroom is overflowing with students. Or maybe my sister’s to blame, the single mother of four, who’s working and just recently finished school herself. Is it the infamous “system”? Or maybe it’s my nephew’s fault for not learning quick enough. I cannot point the finger at any one person and feel completely satisfied with my answer. Truth is, I feel to blame in some strange way. I feel that we are all to blame. Our education system is failing our children and many of us do not care or do not show enough concern. I personally have not shown an interest in volunteering in our schools since 2008 and thinking back, I really miss tutoring kids and making a difference. It’s hard to balance work, home, and everything else that life throws at us but should we use that as an excuse to “leave our children behind”? Over the past few months or so, I’ve attended several lectures, visited different websites, and participated in several small group discussions and I’ve drawn only one conclusion: Something has to be done or the future will be very, very bleak and that’s not going to work for me.
I want to know YOUR opinion about the American Education System and the pros and cons of alternative education methods (charter schools, homeschooling, etc.) Below I’ve listed a few websites that are focused on the improvement of our education system.
- http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml (The U.S. Department of Education)
- http://dr-steveperry.com/ (Dr. Steve Perry’s Website)
- http://www.donewaiting.org (“Done Waiting’s” initiative site)
My hope is that you will visit these sites, along with others, and form your own opinion on the future of our children. Do you agree that the education system is failing our kids? Do you believe that there is nothing wrong with the education system? Do you have ideas or suggestions on how we can “fix” or improve our educational system. Well I want to know! As the Community editor for B. Positive, I want to know how you really feel about your child’s, and in a way, your own future. I will gather all of the best comments and use them in a future article.
“For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”~African Proverb
PLEASE COMMENT! Even if you don’t feel comfortable commenting directly under this article, I still want your opinions! E-mail me at MarlesaW@Bpositivemag.com. Please keep in mind that this site is family-friendly and we want to try to keep all content at least PG-13. 
Be INVOLVED, Be HEARD, Be POSITIVE!!!
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