It is good that New York’s new mayor and others are advocating for expanded preschool. What isn’t good is that we are being treated again to the false message that school is something like a self-contained environment and experience and that just about all that is needed is good teaching and sufficient resources and children will succeed. When they don’t succeed, we interpret their failure as proof that the teaching wasn’t good enough or that sufficient resources weren’t provided or that the curriculum needs to be changed. We turn a blind eye to what should be abundantly evident – namely, that children are being raised in a world that includes too much that impels them away from good education.
As the pace of social change becomes even more rapid, the forces undermining education at all levels become more potent. It is wondrous, perhaps even miraculous, that so many children do succeed in school, many even from homes and environments that are antithetical to study and learning. This is a tribute to the dedication of teachers and other school personnel and also a way of reminding us that each child is precious, each mind unique. There may be difficult mountains to climb, yet there are children who love books, children who love to study, children who despite the obstacles they face are determined to be good students.
