I would like some frys with that!

As we stand here today on the cusp of a national monetary crisis we as human beings are asked to make sacrifices, if not in our spending; then shall be in our thinking as anyone should. We are asked to rethink how we appropriate money; that we hold accountable those who with all their might place a burden on every man and every women and most of all those lives that within our carelessness and ineptitude we have impacted.

The request, with all its political indirectness is one within reason and should not be shunned for it would seem unwise to do so. We should rethink how we spend our money and place value on the things we as a people find important or valuable and as we move forward in this technology driven society we should not push away from educating our people but embrace the idea that part of this sacrifice is to take some burden unto ourselves to ensure that those after us are placed in a much better situation then our current.

It was not that long ago that we sat in a time where people were living the life; extravagant dinners, houses, cars and more were a common way of thinking. Families could afford vacations once or twice a year and now they are left with nothing but in that nothing we are left a glimmer of hope that by pushing forward we can provide what we thought was important then… now! During the period of the 19070’s-1990’s the value of education and moral obligation was like no other, the United States while not leading the way in education placed a huge importance and obligation on those select few who make a much greater sacrifice to help educate the future.

It was the likes of Steve Jobs, or Bill Gates who while not finishing their education will tell you more so than most that what they learned from those teaching it was far more valuable than anything they had learned thus far. It’s the “Experience: the most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my god do you learn.” C.S Lewis would go on to say it is within these words that we must make a sacrifice and take on a burden to make sure these people are given the tools they need to ensure that the people of tomorrow are as valuable as those of yesteryear.

Of course there are those who feel we need to remove these tools and further hinder an already complicated endeavor. Who feel that teachers are already given way too much and that we should downsize their ability to teach and give them what they are worth. I ask those who feel this, at what point would you stop doing your own job, if the tools needed to do so were slowly removed? I am pretty sure most would not take much before bidding farewell and in that bon voyage your discourse will impact not only the present but the future as the knowledge you impart will now be lost.

The argument that as an educator you should be required to get paid for the time you work and no more or that in the United States they work so little that we should pay them less because they work so few months out of the year is just absurd. It is not just a job but a way of life, those who impart knowledge onto others do not do so for the money they do so as a means of being; we are often hearing about those who within their own time outside the classroom are continuing the fight to fill the education gap in America as abroad; who are volunteering their time everywhere to make sure that someone’s life is just a little better than before.

But, when we talk about money and how we should spend it. Those at the top are the same folks who allowed the system to become dilapidated and careless AND WHOS FAULT IS THAT? Its not the teacher’s fault; they were asked to reduce the amount of school days because their boss could not balance a budget; they did not ask that the cost of living be increased beyond their pay grade by those who think careless spending is OK! They did not ask, that what they can teach and how they teach be dictated by religious zealots who have lost sight of the times… instead day in and day out they work tirelessly trying to make sure that people have a place in this world, and while not all of them are the best; we should not allow the sour of one apple to plague the many who truly make an impact on our lives everyday.

Once again I ask that we as a people who feel that we are owed something in this society; question those who want to rid us of those who gave us the ability to do so… we are all educators and we should all do our part to make sure that those who need help and those who need knowledge be given the chance an opportunity to learn it.

Your children’s education at risk!

In no greater time have we seen such a need for education and those who provide it; as we step into a future full of technology and struggle to further close the educational gap abroad, we must not put undue pressure and lacking resolve in our public educators.

John Adams wrote in April of 1776,

“Laws for the liberal education of youth, especially of the lower class of people, are so extremely wise and useful, that, to a humane and generous mind, no expense for this purpose would be thought extravagant”

It was this placed importance that Adams would ensure his own education and the effect it would have on his life; which impart played a major role in founding this nation. There is no greater cause that ensuring the safety and plentifullness of the mind and the role that it plays in creating the freedoms we so much cherish.

I am reminded of Adams due diligence with regards to the current state of our education system and the people who dedicate their lives to help further the concepts and freedoms of our founding fathers, whom which fought so hard to ensure that their children could impart the knowledge of mathematics, writing, reading and so forth to a new era of young people; it for this reason that we must not place blame of those who like us all, give up so much of their own lives to help remind us why we are all here. The public educators of this great nation are people whom we should help champion the youth of tomorrow and in doing so it is our responsibility not as political foes, nor as combatants of right or left but to put our differences aside and not put our children’s education at risk and punish those whom occupy such a rare space by removing what is crucially required for them to uphold their profession.

I call upon all citizens of this country to give back and help the education system where they can; to provide not only what was given to you but what is required to survive in this world as a free nation. We could argue left and right about how the money could or should be spent and we could spend days, months and years on every penny but while doing so we are putting an undue burden on what is important, our children. Call your local Congressman and let them know that you expect better of them and that by cutting funding to our public educators and education you are not only hurting our nation but you are hurting the millions of young people who ought to have the right to learn.

I am forced to close with a quote from whom which I opened with,

“The science of government it is my duty to study, more than all other sciences; the arts of legislation and administration and negotiation ought to take the place, indeed exclude, in a manner, all other arts. I must study politics and war, that our son may have the liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. Our sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, and naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture in order to give their children the right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain”

We mustn’t forget the liberties we are endowed and the rights we have in using them. So make the humane choice and support your public educators and put the political differences aside and support your children’s right to learn.

If you do not know whom your elected officials are you can visit a wonderful website which provides information for both state and federal levels http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml