Education And American Democracy
Joseph N. Abraham, M.D.
Throughout our history, we have glorified the American Dream. We tell the stories, often the stories of our own families, of people who gave up everything precious to them, so that their children might live a better life. These families suffer poverty, privation, work at dangerous jobs, live in dangerous neighborhoods, give up all luxuries, so that their children might have better.
And always, always, that provision places education foremost.
Often, our leaders and thinkers will claim that America is her courts, her legislatures, her legal documents. They misspeak.
As important as these things are they are not our country; they are simply the guardians. This country, is a country of, by, and for the people. And the people who strive for more, who sacrifice and risk all they have, and all they are, to move the next generation forward ARE America. Because as they build and enrich their lives, so America is built and enriched. It is an irony: the poor Nigerian mother working in a sweat shop, to provide the most meager food, clothing and shelter so that her children might have a better chance, is every bit as American as Washington, Jefferson, or Adams. She isn't following the American Dream; that Dream is HER.
So where does it go wrong? How is that this is every individual's dream, but not our unified dream? We write our American myths about individuals who struggle for their children, but when we tally our votes to create a government that is entrusted with embodying and protecting our dream, how is it that the Dream itself is lost?
As individuals, we say that what is most precious to us is our children, and their education. But somehow, we when supposedly speak with one voice, education and children are given a minimal priority.
Simple. We haven't put our foot down. We haven't insisted on better.
We have allowed big donors, and corporations, the military, government bureaucracy, and special interest groups to get ahead of us in line. We haven't made it clear that we want great schools. We haven't insisted that children-- my children, your children, all children-- are to come before everything else.
All of us must speak up, and dictate to our government, in no uncertain terms. Children and education are the American Dream, and our government must care for them first.
Joseph N. Abraham MD is president and founder of The American Public School Endowments and booksXYZ.com, the Nonprofit Bookstore Supporting Education. booksXYZ.com lists over 2,000,000
http://booksXYZ.com/ paperbacks, hardbacks, and audio books. Dr. Abraham has written the book Happiness: A Physician/Biologist Looks at Life, an innovative
http://booksxyz.com/profile.php?id=5) self help book.
