Onto the problems of education

Here's an idea:

The national government should finally take our elementary and secondary education seriously in this nation.

Its a tragic flaw in our society that no one has truly looked at until now. Our nation takes education seriously only once the student has left his or her high school desk. Think about it this way: the average teacher salary for post-secondary schools in America is about $47,000. The average salary for a professor is about $98,000. The difference is huge.

I know what many of you are saying. The reasoning for this gigantic difference is the amount of time put in to become a professor. I understand the thinking. Yet, we are going to have to address the poor standards of our education in America soon. If not, American students are going to find themselves in a world economy that they simply cannot compete in. That is what we are going to be facing soon. The reality is that of the 25 best education systems in the world, America's ranks in at 18, a sad illustration of the effectiveness of the American system.

This post is not meant to be a contradiction of my Progressiveness. On the contrary, I believe in a strong public school system; indeed, in my belief, it is the backbone of our society. The idea that all children and young adults should be unleashed in a dog-eat-dog world with a sound education is something we all should espouse, and a system that makes this its main goal is one that we should all rally around.

Government officials that will form our education system as time goes on should keep something in mind. It is something that all students already know, as they chant it (usually like drones) every morning, five days a week. The act of doing it isn't as powerful as the words you say when you are completing the act. Indeed, it is our Pledge of Allegiance that states our ideals as a nation, ending in the words: "with liberty, and justice, for all." This is one of the best known times when we, as Americans, state our belief in equality. And the first way to get closer to an egalitarian society is the creation of a truly public education system, one that teaches all students equally, one that looks at neither prestige nor wealth when evaluating a student's learning abilities.

These will be the subjects of the next few days. If nothing else, Operation: Democracy will be a voice for all members of the present education system and the one we build for the future.