Does our current education system make the grade?

Even as the days of President George W. Bush’s administration are at last numbered and America poises to choose its next potential disaster, I can stand proud and say that I have not yet submitted to political hype that has since seized the nation. While I don’t intend to sound conceited, I also don’t pretend to stand alone in the belief that even as the daily news is swamped with pictures of press conferences, allegations of racism, and Sedona barbeques, sometimes the issues are lost beneath the waves of what really is important.

Take our nation’s education. I seem to recall that, at least at some point since last November, it was a hot issue of sort and a point of frustration for me. However, even as our Democratic candidates rally around the out-and-out (merciful) execution of the No Child Left Behind Act, I think it similarly depressing that we take for granted the possibility that there may be people who do not concur with our point of view.

In light of this desire to hear what others think, I recently sought the opinion of 78-year-old Mildred Kahn. As I met with this woman, who has such a Rockwell-grandmother appeal to her, I had no presumption that my views would be well-met in the slightest. However, Mildred surprised me when I asked for her opinion on the state of public education.

“Horse feathers. . . It’s unreal what’s going on,” responded Ms. Kahn, an answer that shocked me, if only in its rapidity. “It’s the children that suffer, as the quality of education goes down.”

Mildred speaks as if there is a great fire building up inside her that’s desperately craving oxygen to lash out at any moment. That moment arose when I questioned her about the hiring of teachers. “It’s terrible. It’s not what you know, but who you know when it comes down to it. First things first: we need to start getting rid of politics everywhere in school,” said Ms. Kahn.

As a great-grandmother, Mildred also mentioned the infamous No Child Left Behind Act, and how she feels it’s not working, to say the least. “Children need to read and write and it’s the schools fault this isn’t occurring. Parents can only do so much because of their hectic work schedule. Parents work hard to give them everything that [their children] need. They can’t be asked to tutor them in the things they aren’t [learning].”

Though Ms. Kahn fondly remembers a time when, as she puts it, “you didn’t need college,” she also recognizes the need for higher education in a world of increasing specialization. “How do you expect kids to go to college when schools aren’t preparing them for it?”

Apparently, we young folk aren’t the only ones fearful for lack of certainty in our children’s future.

Matthew Gobbler '08
Wilkes University
Communication Studies