As a 65 year old woman, I have seen a lot during my years on this earth.  Back in the 1950's when I was in grade school, the McCarthy era was at hand, and I did think that was the best thing that ever happened.  We need a little McCarthyism today.  In the 1950's, my dad was a night school student at St.  Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri.  There were communist teachers back then too.  Washington University in St. Louis, one of the most elitest Universities, had communists also teach on their campus.  Everyone new who they were.  In those days, students were taught what communism was, what to look for, and what life was like in communist countries.  

Today, there are more communists than ever teaching in all of our schools in general.  Today, American History is not really taught as it was then, and even back then, there was a progressive bent to it as well.

The teachers I had taught us, we learned, we were also taught how to learn.  In addition, we were taught how to think and analyze.  We were taught how to make decisions and use common sense.  Today, children and adults are taught to be robots--to repeat what they want us to know.  We are no longer encouraged or taught how to think, but what to think.

An example of this is global warming.  For believers, we believe God is in control, man is not.  So if that is true, that God is in control, all we need to do is be good stewards of the earth--we do not polute, we clean up and keep things clean--and I do not mean environmental controls.  Lets face it.  A person whose car is burning oil would get their car fixed if they had the money.  No one likes the smell of burning oil.  We are told sugar is bad for you.  And we are told fat is bad for you.  So everyone changes their diets to accommodate.

Now, what we have are people using chemicals instead of the real stuff--the natural stuff--which used in moderation is good for you.  The chemical stuff, on the other hand, actually has proven to be more harmful for you.

What we need is a commitment to education.  I have a masters degree in curriculum and instruction.  And I, for one, would like to be a part in reforming our educational system.  Many school districts are having to cut their budgets now, cut teacher's benefits, etc.  That is not a bad thing because of the stats of public school education that loom at us like a bad hair day.  Only thing is, it will take a decade to try to straighten the system out.  Something is wrong when 67 % of the high school students attending college or a university, are not scoring high enough on even placement tests to be placed in college level classes and must take at least one if not all three remedial courses, two semesters of each in reading, writing and English.  These are basic--stuff they should have learned while in grade school and high schools all over the nation.  Our children all know how to make a baby, they know to experiment with life styles, etc.  But they can't read, write, and do even simple math.  There are no moral values and virtues, nor character being taught in most schools.  This has got to change if we are to survive as a nation.

If any of you feel education needs to be a top priority, please post, and if there is a site on which to become involved for education reforms, please guide me to it.

Thank you so much for reading this soap box position.

Fran