Education – When Does It Start?

I used to think education started with the first day of school, seated in a building full of classrooms. There’s usually a teacher at the blackboard hammering home some empowering fact that you had to remember to have a fulfilling and successful life. Not so. Learning is continuous and starts from the very first moment a soul becomes aware.

Learning is a Lifelong Process

But it doesn’t stop there. By adolescence, a child knows how to dress and feed him or herself, some basic cooking skills, and a few basic social skills picked up at home and school. By the time a teen leaves home, they should have mastered the basics and acquired some of the more complex social skills they either learned in their household or learned in the real world. Trust me when I tell you, this is where the ball gets dropped quite a bit. The transition from teenager to young adult can be difficult.

The Role of Parents

Educating our children has become the parents’ job as much as it is the educators’—the audacity. I’m joking here, but really. In addition to managing and growing the child’s basic skills at home and navigating the ever-changing landscape at work in pursuit of your career, we as parents also have to manage, track, and participate in our children’s academic development. With changing technology and disciplines, that can seem impossible.

I’m old enough to remember when educating children was left to the professionals. When my children were in school, I expected an excellent, well-rounded education for all children. I mean, teachers were like demi-gods when I was growing up. Then, it became apparent that they are not. I suppose, in all fairness, I have to accept that all teachers are human too. They come with their own skillset, biases, and shortcomings. So parents must take an active role in their child’s education.

Personally, I think our teachers should be amongst the highest paid professionals in the country. It’s a job I’m sure most parents don’t want to do. A teacher often plays the role of educator, parent, social worker, and counselor.

What Type of Education Should the School System Provide?

I’m glad that our country offers free primary and secondary education to every child. There are still countries today that do not. What would make me proud would be educating our children’s minds, the greatest commodity in our country, with all that they need to move forward into their future equipped with skills to provide for themselves. I would be proud if our schools were equipped with the latest technology. I would be proud of a school system that thought enough of its educators to finance refresher courses for teachers. A school system that offers programs that focuses on the arts, foreign language, and STEM would be incredible. And, while I’m on a roll with this dream list, why not make state community colleges free. After all, most employers require some amount of higher education for almost everything.

Last but not least, we need to step up our vocational curriculum. Every child does not want to be an engineer or scientist. There’s no reason why a high school student can’t graduate with certifications in IT, computers, programming, or plumbing. Kids start using computers as toddlers now. Our education system has to catch up with technology.

Final Thoughts

A great nation isn’t great just because it says so. For America to be great, we need to have high standards. Standards that first address how the government, state and federal, treats its citizens. Next, a great country strives to provide the best education and healthcare systems it possibly can to meet its high standards. Historically, the newly founded government of this country established the public education system because it just made sense to have educated citizens writing and voting on its laws, and it still does.

A nation is great because of its significant actions, not excuses. Our great nation should not hear its congressional body say it can’t solve its problems because the price tag is high. Educating America should always be a high priority. A great America takes care of all Americans through a modern education system, an accessible healthcare system, an open and fair economy, and a safe, protected environment.