I was reading up today about the Obama Administration initiative to lengthen the school day and the school year. I, for one, think this it is one of the best initiatives to come out of the White House in years! Let me "break it down" for you...
The Ugly Truth:
On average, our kids are just not as bright as those in other parts of the world. Now before you go getting all mad about that statement, remember, I said on average! Asian countries are killing us in Math and Science; two things we desperately need with a planet wasting away before our eyes. Growing up, I can remember a sentiment that Asian people were "just smarter". I think as a society we've just rolled over and accepted mediocrity as the new standard of excellence. We should stop celebrating mediocrity and start striving to learn again. We've replaced books with Nintendo DSi and PlayStation 1, 2, and 3. Think about it... the pool of people who will be qualified to run this country in the future is getting smaller and smaller. In fact, it's quickly becoming a wading pool.
The Advantages:
Besides the obvious higher level of learning, there are many advantages that I see. Fewer kids will be left home alone. This means they are out of danger and out of trouble. Their grades will get better which can only lead to higher self esteem. Encouraging kids to do better is fine, but giving them extra time to actually become better does so much more. With all this extra time spent and higher learning achieved we can trust that we won't have to outsource our survival to other countries. That is exactly what will happen if we don't start catching up on Math and Science immediately.
The Disadvantages:
There are none in my opinion. You hear people all the time moaning and complaining about the extra cost or the fact that family vacations will be altered somehow. You hear about someone being inconvenienced. Are you kidding? The fuss is all about superfluous things. What's a little inconvenience compared to being able to compete and keep up with the rest of the world? What's the extra money spent compared to bringing up children who can actually think for themselves and speak English properly. It's like so much better..um...ya know? Seriously, we need this. We've needed this. I grew up learning about American ingenuity and how we rose to face any challenge. Where is the line between ingenuity and procrastination? It seems as though we are all a little too content to wait for a disaster to show our "American Ingenuity". I believe it's time we applied that spirit before we create a learning disaster.
The End Game:
All political affiliations aside, this initiative makes sense for our children...for our future. Like him or not, Obama is taking on something we need badly. He has kids. He knows the implications. He makes a great point about how the school system is based upon the agrarian economy. The world has evolved. It's time our education system did too. Support our future...support longer school days and longer school years!
