After every election happening, the winners vow to revolutionize (or at least tweak) the existing education system; however, about all that produces is some new government fostered program that is sure to cure all the ills that have existed up to that point.
Remember Teddy Kennedy's "No Child Left Behind" fiasco? Who was the fool - certainly no sane educator - that envisioned a 100 percent proficiency level n 2014?
Don't worry. New Mexico is not left out of this circus. A new administration comes in to serve the people and where does it go to get its education revitalization? Why of course - to that education Mecca of extensive creativity and mastery - Florida.
Now truthfully, it must be said that on a scale of 1 to 50, New Mexico works hard to keep itself out of that 50th slot. But of course with Mississippi in the running, New Mexico can pretty much rest on its laurels to avoid that spot.
So, why Florida, who ranks only about 10 slots higher than New Mexico, to remedy our situation? I don't know for certain, but I can almost guarantee that it was merely a political choice.
If someone in government was truly sincere in attempting to improve education in New Mexico, that person would have been making searches for assistance in states that regularly sit in the "Top 10" state education systems.
The United States is not the only place on earth that uses education for window dressing. If this was not true, people/leaders/governments/nations/kingdoms, would keep history in mind and not let it repeat itself.
An excellent example of ignoring history that I like to recall takes place during World War II. German ingenuity has had a long reputation of superiority, but when put in the hands of Adolph Hitler, let's face it - pompous, yes - but not the brightest bulb on the tree. Hey Adolph, remember that Napoleon tried your maneuver (very same maneuver) to invade Moscow, and just by coincidence, his had the same disastrous result as your did only 100 years earlier.
In 1887 (125 years ago), Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic about 2000 years prior:
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse over loose fiscal policy which is always followed by dictatorship.
The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these civilizations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From great courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back to bondage."
Of course, we are a Constitutions Republic (a form of Democracy) so these steps definitely apply to our way of life. Just where on this list do we fit? Perhaps this could be a lesson well-learned, but just how much leeway does a government driven curriculum allow for matter not included in its test?
If teachers were allowed to teach, perhaps students indeed would be well-educated and the world would indeed be a better place. Take government out of education. Allow teachers to control their curriculum. Perhaps a paraphrase of an old saying may be true: "Those who can - do; those who can't - govern."
Frederick A. Metcalf lives in Columbus, New Mexico.