Spend it wisely

School administrators across the nation must be salivating at the thought of the billions of dollars coming their way from the economic stimulus. But that money will be wasted if these three things don’t happen:

(1) Class sizes are reduced – reducing teachers’ workloads, giving them more one-on-one time with their students, and employing more teachers.

(2) Reformation of the public education system into one that caters to individual students’ needs. Children are not products manufactured on a conveyor belt in a factory. They are unique individuals who each learn at a different pace and with a different style. That’s why the standardized test method of evaluation has been such a failure.

(3) Wise use of the funds – basic education is not being fully funded when teachers have to pay for supplies out of their own pockets. New school buildings are nice, but history has shown that if children have a desire to learn, they are capable of learning in less-than-desirable conditions. Drafty one-room schoolhouses come to mind.

In this difficult economic time we’re going through, when they’re using money that will likely put our country deeper into debt, I pray that education leaders will employ wisdom and restraint.

Kelli Burton

Medical Lake