Reform to Education is Needed

Our education system is broken.  We have students that are struggling and we are locked into a system that rewards teachers for hanging in there the longest, not ones that effectively teach and inspire their students.

Teaching is and will remain some of the most important jobs in America.  Teachers instruct and enlighten new generations, driving them towards success.  We need to ensure that those who fill these jobs are both well qualified and well prepared to do this.  Merit based teacher hiring, promotion, and retention will encourage teachers to be the best they can possibly be.

This is not all on the teachers though.  Instructors who teach teachers need to be the best they can be also.  Teachers need to be well prepared so that they can succeed. Ensuring that we have extensive teacher training is essential.  Teachers should be informed on strategies that help motivate students.  They can share their ideas so they all can succeed.  Such collaboration must be encouraged in the education system.

In order to push students to learn more, we must challenge them, but not beyond their limits so that they are overwhelmed.  In our educational system, there are often only two streams: Grade Level and Honors/Advanced Placement.  There is no middle ground.  Often students feel they are unready or unprepared for the most challenging class, but then, devoid of options, are frustrated with the simplicity of the Grade Level Class.

This needs to change.  Teachers in all classes need to asses student skill and willpower to offer or assign tiered assignments varying the challenge that students have.  Some students may not be able to go beyond what Grade Level requires.  Very well.  Others can have a challenge, so that they may still challenge themselves and expand their knowledge without overwhelming themselves.  This would not require any additional "Accelerated" classes from being added to the school course offerings, thus eliminating any additional class/teacher cost.  Though all assignments may not be tiered, as to ensure grade fairness, a significant amount of increased challenged could be added to the courses with this system.  Teachers can assign some tired assignments, and present a choice to the student on others, encouraging students to challenge themselves, but within their limits.  This provides a way for all students, not matter their skill level, to push themselves without increasing their stress level.

W.B. Yeats once said, "Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire."  By challenging our students, we can light student's intellectual fires so they burn bright and powerful into adulthood, catalyzing and illuminating their futures.

Debt Must Be Decreased

The government has to stop kicking the can down the road with America's debt problem.

For years, Congress has been content to push this problem aside, not coming to a consensus on what to do.  Right now, Democrats and Republicans remain fiercely divided on what to do.

In order to form a lasting solution, though, both sides must come together and from a deal that will benefit the entire country.  We need strong reform to entitlements, some of which might hurt.  It will hurt a lot less now than 4 years down the road though.  Spending cuts besides entitlements have to be part of the picture.  The government spends a lot of money of programs that it does not need.  For example, we don't need more government programs to do a whole bunch of jobs.  We just need the existing ones to be more effective.  In addition, increased revenue has to be part of the picture.  Eliminating tax breaks for the richest Americans, those who can afford it, is necessary.  Taxes are necessary for government to function.  It's not redistributing the wealth, the rich are still rich.  But these solutions could go a long way to fix our crisis.  It's time Congress realized they have to do what's best for their country, not what's best for their jobs.

No More Same Old, Same Old

Desperate times call for desperate action.

We need to change the way we do things in order to succeed.  Government needs to acknowledge that changes must be made.  We cannot keep operating under the same practices.  We must challenge the status quo and think for ourselves.  We cannot just sit back and eat up what the major parties tell us.  They can deceive the electorate, and this is very dangerous.  They polarize the American people, so we are really just choosing those who are good party candidates, not American candidates.

We need people in Washington and all of government to really value what the American people want.  Bickering in congress of this and that does not help anyone.  It hurts the American people.  These two sides need to learn to get along and put aside their interests groups, their big sponsors, and do what is right for the people.

Embrace Challenges to Fix Problems in Society

Problems face our society every day.  At times, these problems seem overwhelming, as if they can't be fixed.  If we are to improve society and make it stronger, we need to embrace these challenges and fix our problems.  Many politicians shirk away from bold action when it is needed.  While there is a time for prudence and patience, there are also times when we need actions.  The status quo will remain forever, if we do not get our acts together.  We all have the power to change society.  Let's take action when action is needed most.