Wanted: a better basic education

BY A. PAUL WOOD, PRESIDENT AND CEO, GEORGIA ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORP.

As the new school year approaches, I am reminded of Louis Pasteur's famous old adage, "Chance favors only the prepared mind."

In my view, every teacher should plaster that quote above the blackboard on the first day of school and leave it there all year.

A recent news story described in painful detail the many ways American students are falling behind Japan and other Western nations in basic skills. It seems some of our graduates applying for their first jobs are unable to successfully solve simple math problems, point to Iraq on a map of the world, or name even one of their two U.S. senators.
We're doing something wrong. I think it is time for all of us -- students, parents and teachers -- to recommit to a new level of excellence.

Yes, it is true that foreign students are attracted to America from all over the world for a postgraduate education, and often return to their native countries to assume leadership positions. This is not about them or the advanced-degree opportunities we offer them.

This is about the millions of elementary and secondary school children who simply must have a better basic education if they are to have a chance for success in the 21st-century workplace.

There is nothing new about all this, but that does not make it a less critical matter. We simply cannot afford to shrug our shoulders and hope someone else will correct the problem. In the final analysis, we are talking about not only the future of our children but the future of our country.

So what should we do?

For starters, we need to make sure our schools are places where principals are clearly in command, where there are hard-and-fast rules and discipline reigns. We should require that teachers demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the subjects they teach. Parents should make certain that students arrive every day prepared to work hard. And, while we're at it, would it be so bad if we insist on our kids doing more homework and watching less TV?

We must make sure our children in elementary school understand the importance of building a solid foundation in math and urge them to take more math, science and critical language courses in high school. Most importantly, we must provide an environment at home that is conducive to learning, too.

Pretty much commonsense suggestions, don't you think? It shouldn't be hard to implement all of them -- but it is. It is hard because we all have "other interests to pursue," and besides, it "might take a lot of our time."

If you agree that investing in our children's future is more important, then you're ready to devote a certain amount of your own time and resources to enhancing the learning experience for children in your local schools. I know I am.

Pasteur was right. Prepared with a solid education, there is no limit to what the mind can discover or the hands contribute. Get involved!