I was chatting this weekend with a gentleman from Belgium. He speaks five languages.
Five.
And he taught himself English.
We started chatting about diamonds, robbing and what you need for a chop shop (relax, it's Mafia Wars), and moved on to travel, New York, the weather, languages, politics... He was wonderfully patient while answering all my questions (what's the weather like there? what time is it? do you use the metric system? how do you keep all those languages straight in your head? what language to you think in? you have paid health care?!?). I have about a million more questions to ask, but then he'll have to hitlist me and That will be the end of That! :D
Seriously, though, I am impressed. He writes articles for magazines in languages other than his native language. If you Google his name, his grammatically correct articles are found. He puts the Buffalo News to shame.
It really made me think about the shoddy educational system we have in this country. Why isn't education more of a priority? Why aren't we making sure our future doctors, scientists and leaders are properly and thoroughly educated? Why doesn't our educational system put more emphasis on what is happening outside our borders? (It's called the "global economy" for a reason!)
Ian won't be offered the opportunity to take a foreign language until he reaches sixth grade. I wasn't offered French until seventh, and only then because I was in 'advanced' classes. Had that not been the case, I wouldn't have had the opportunity until ninth. And I never found the opportunity to use it, so pretty much all I can remember is "Bonjour". Oh, and "Je ne sais quoi." Not exactly a linguistic giant here.
There's just something wrong with that picture, especially in a world that has become much smaller with the advent of the Internet.
We still have children who graduate from high school that cannot read or balance a checkbook. Even more sad is the number of children who drop out of school altogether. There isn't any incentive to continue one's education...the cost alone is prohibitive. The Bush administration drastically reduced, and in some cases eliminated, financial aid for the purpose of furthering education. I'll have student loans until I'm 70. At least I'll be an educated debtor.
I am determined that Ian go to college...whether he thinks he wants to or not. It is SO important. Technology, among other things, keeps advancing, and if we don't educate ourselves,we will be left in the dust.
And I will keep learning and asking questions and taking opportunities to learn wherever I can find them. Even if it is in the unlikely venue of a video game. Thank you, my friend.
Michael said... "Why isn't education more of a priority?"
Because an educated electorate is a threat to the power structure. Period.
