I would like to publicly thank the following people that have put time and effort into EDUCATING me over the last 42 years and giving me the foundation to collect my thoughts, rationalize, and speak up for that which is good, right, and just. First and foremost our almighty GOD, my earthly Father Raymond Badon Jr., my earthly mother Sheryl Badon, my grandparents, and other family members too many to name, those who know who they are but I dont specifically mention and last but certainly not least my classroom teachers of Johnson Bayou High School Marilyn Badon Trahan, Chris Garber, Dorine Vige Bearden, Jeanne Sanders LaFleur, Juanita Sandifer, Ronald Vining, Howard Romero, and many, many others. With that said I offer the following: So let’s have a discussion about education. Let’s begin by asking a few questions. Whose responsibility is it to insure a child is educated. Who should determine what your child learns? Who should pay for it? Is education a fundamental right? Most of you know the answers to these questions. However, for the sake of discussion let’s just agree that it is a parent’s responsibility to insure a child is educated, a parent should determine what their child learns, and that parent should contribute a majority of the expenses incurred to educate their child. If you do not agree with the basis of the three previous statements read no further. You are part of the problem and I doubt you will have much interest in the rest of this discussion. So if you’re still with me let’s take on the fourth question; Is education a fundamental right? I submit and most (but not all) will agree as American Citizens we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (I know, I know but as laughable as it may seem just for the sake of discussion just pretend we do actually still have those basic inalienable rights) So nope education didn’t make the list. So where am I going with this. Well those old English guys who made the trip across the big pond to flee a tyrannical crown were indeed educated men, or in today’s terms some super smart dudes. They were smart enough to know that it may be possible to build a nation where a person could worship as they pleased, put in an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay, have private property ownership and in general love the life their God had blessed them with. They were also smart enough to know they would have to fight the crown to obtain these freedoms, but they were honest men, men of integrity and lucky for you and I they took up that fight. The rest as they say is history. Now let me try to get back on topic. I have a tendency to be a little long winded when I write about the founding of our country. Consider the following quotes from the time of the development of the governance of what at that time was the birth of a new nation that would become the greatest nation in the history of the word. “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” James Madison Now let’s fast forward to today. Where did we go so wrong? You know that old saying I want my child to have better than me. Well John Adams said it like this: ““I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.” Well Mr. Adams be careful what you wish for. It kind of doesn’t turn out so well for the home team. Although your kids, kids, kids, kids, kids, children have free health care, purple hair, and a multitude of pierced body parts, they have no clue who you are. If they do one day try to find out who you are because they heard you may have left them a trust fund, if they google the right page you were a cross dressing pedophile who helped write some old piece of paper that killed a bunch of Indians or something like that. I think I forgot I was going to talk about education but I guess instead I led us to what happens with the lack thereof. Here’s the last two quotes: “Government should be modest in its ambitions to influence the choices of parents and teachers, but government plays an important role in assuring these basic conditions for quality and for access.” -Louisiana State Superintendent of Education John White “As changes take place, public resistance will increase unless a consistent, encouraging message is echoed. For those messages to STICK, they must be repeated frequently and powerfully, and must be tied into other initiatives. People will remember and respond to the Common Core State Standards if the initiative is fresh in their minds and if they understand why this undertaking is critical for improved outcomes. As successful Common Core State Standards communications strategy involves….monitoring whether messages have been received and retained.” National Governors Association (Owners of the copyright to the Common Core State Standards) Do you have control of what and how your child is learning? Let me answer it for you. No you don’t. Now for God sake do something about it. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 15:39:13 +0000
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