Educate our children

Come on folks, let's give this some thought... We all know the advantage of having " that piece of paper". I'm sure you know by now we are living in a global society. Unlike a lot of us, our children have to compete not only with the child in the next desk or the next classroom, but thanks to the internet- the next continent. Can we try to give the poor children an advantage so they can compete and earn a decent living in the future? I don't profess to have all of the answers. I haven't even finished my own schooling because I've been so busy "raising adults"- not raising children because that is not what I want the end product to be...think about it. These days students need to enroll in the "right kindergarten" that will feed into the "right elementary and middle school" that will prepare them for the "right high school" so they will be able to slide into " the right college" to graduate with that degree to give them a foot in the door for a respectable salary. Please hear me out... I know everyone can't afford or desire a private school education. Yes it has advantages of smaller classroom sizes and individual attention for the child- and yes, I do have my child's school principal and each teacher's home phone number- that is just how accessible they make themselves to parents at our school, but there are ways to be proactive in your child's education and not just be at mercy to the system. Did you know that Stanford University offers online classes for grades K-12? Yes, it costs, but what an excellent way for the child to get additional enrichment and prepare for the next school year, especially in the summer? My point is let's turn off the TV and iPods and give some thought to some of these things. Can't afford additional classes for your child? How about a free library card and library story-time for your preschooler? I'm just saying... Come on,People!