School's In

It's September, which means school has started or is getting ready to start again soon. I can honestly say I don't miss those days. I've never been a fan of school, but I always knew it was necessary for me to be successful in life. So I went and basically went through the motions for a little over four years. Right now I'm not putting those years to use at all. Anyway, the real issue here is the educational system as a whole. It needs more attention. Tuition costs continue to go up every year. I can only imagine how much it costs now and I've only been out of school for three years. Going down to early education, there are many causes for discussion. Where I'm from, it was hard to get a good education. I made it because of my natural intelligence and supportive parents. Don't get me wrong. There are many teachers who care about their students and want to see them do well. But when you have a teacher with a chemistry background teaching biology because that's all they have, there is a real problem. I didn't feel like I was challenged in high school. I didn't know how to study until college gave me a rude awakening. So what's the solution? I don't know...I have ideas though. The Teach for America program doesn't work to me. They have incentive to teach for those two or three years, then they're gone. There is no lasting relationship there. I can't knock the program because it filled spots in my school that seemed hard to fill with somebody capable of teaching the material. But there's too much turnover. Recruit college students who went to school to teach, not those who want to teach as a stepping stone. Parents have to get involved too. Everything starts at home. Help them with their homework, know their teachers, etc. More funding should be spent on the educational system instead of some imaginary war with very real casualties. Make learning fun. Field trips are not just for elementary schools. How about coming up with more after school programs to keep kids out of trouble? I can probably come up with more ideas, but I am only one person. We all have to make our feelings heard. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. It's too bad that we keep letting it happen.