Tuesday, January 20, 2009

My Open Letter to the President

Dear Mr. President,

You are the hope of this nation. I know that is a lot of weight to have on your shoulders and that you will be endlessly scrutinized for every decision you make. You have made one great promise in your speech. My hope is that you will keep your promise to ensure that our schools no longer fail our children. Children are one of our greatest resources. Their wonder and happiness should be guarded with the utmost care by those who are no longer children. As adults, we can bear the disappointment and the anxiety of our nation's woes. Our schools should be a safe place for children to explore their ideas. Schools should not be an institution where the children are bound to the ideas and information found in their textbooks because the teachers must teach to the test. The test does not always show how a child understands the line of symmetry because he can identify the line of symmetry on himself. It does not prove that a child understands how a character feels because she has also lost her pet just like the character in the story. We need to teach our children how to think not just to take a test. How can they navigate the world if they have not be taught how to think? Higher thinking does not come naturally to anyone; even those who are gifted have to be coaxed to their full potential. Please help to ensure that schools are a place where thinking occurs and not memorization. Encourage teachers to be guides and children to be explorers. Children are our hope. Children are our future.


2 comments:

hovaleen said...

I hope you really sent it to him :) I think it would have a really positive impact if not atleast send warm fuzzies :) If not, can I send it to him on your behalf to his myspace? :D

Bea said...

I <3 you Jove. You could totally send it to him if you would like to. Thanks dear. :)