[Winona Online Democracy]
Regarding Paul
Double's question - what will it take for us to wake up and prepare our students
for the real world in the 21st century - there is a short, but not easy, answer:
Education. We need a commitment to education at all levels, starting at
the earliest pre-school level and continuing to graduate and post-graduate
levels. It will take the whole "village" to raise children in this
environment - including engaged parents and interested businesspeople - but it
also takes a commitment from the community at large to fund a high quality
education system. Slogans like "no new taxes" and "do more with less" may
satisfy a certain slice of the constituency, but as in most things, you get what
you pay for.
I find it baffling
that many say they want an educated citizenry but refuse to put up the tax
dollars needed to do it well and make it work universally. This is not a
place where the "marketplace" is going to deliver for all children. We
need a society-wide commitment to excellence and education. If we could
peek into every classroom in the state and see what the teachers and
administrators do with the meager resources we dole out we would be
impressed with their resourcefulness, but appalled at our own
cheapness.
Education,
education, education. No one is going to do it for us.
_______________________________________________
This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy
All messages must be signed by the senders actual name.
No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list.
To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit
http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona
Any problems or suggestions can be directed to
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at
http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
