The Back to School Experience

Elise Matich For some of us, it means tearfully dropping our young ones off for the very first time, whether i t be to kindergar ten or nurser y school. For others it means helping a hesitant child through the rough patches as he or she enters a new stage such as middle or high school. For those who were able to save, it means sending one or more of our offspring to college, and out into the world beyond Putnam.

August is to the year what Sunday is to the week—it’s still for many a time of rest but that ominous shadow of September/Monday is never far from view. Once we start hearing the phrase “back to school,” time seems to accelerate and our to-do lists start to lengthen.

For most of today’s adults “back to school” probably used to mean a new pair of shoes, a couple of outfits, and some brand new school supplies. Truth be told, if you include an electronic calculator, a functioning cell phone, and perhaps a laptop, that’s pretty much what it still means for today’s kids.

Our school districts face another year of reduced educat ional ai d from a nearly bankrupt state and bankrupt country. In all of this, we should remember that funding is important, but it is not a panacea. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, for example, spends more per pupil than all but two states and yet its students perform worse than those in nearly half of the States. On the international level, the United States spends more dollars per pupil than any other nation, but American students are among the worst performers on international tests.

A television network recently looked at an eighth grade test given to students 100 years ago, when our grandparents only got to the eighth grade but somehow brought us all along. It would be very difficulty for a high school senior today to pass that test, with tough questions on grammar, Western civilization, arithmetic, and American history. No computers, no calculators, and no government funding, but somehow teachers got it done. In a recent survey by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute of 2,500 Americans, more than 1,700 failed a basic civics test. More people knew the names of the American Idol judges than basic elements of American history. Too often today, instead of learning civics and history, our kids are whittling away their time making bird’s nests with Popsicle sticks.

In the face of this, alert citi- zens such as Putnam Valley Town Board candidate Patty Villanova rightfully remain vigilant against additional taxes, especially given teacher salaries and benefits that gobble up scarce resources . We also should look to reform-minded and dedicated stalwarts like Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, who has encouraged major educational funding reforms, such as transparency in teacher union negotiations, in the face of entrenched special interests.

The bare minimum that each of us can do is to stay informed. Join the Courier at the next meeting of your district’s school board (meetings are listed on page seven each week), and speak up when the public comment period is announced. Take time to vote whenever school i s sues are on the bal lot . Examine your children’s textbooks and syllabi. Make it your business to f ind out , f i rs t -hand, i f you can, what all of our schools are doing to fulfill their mandate to educate tomorrow’s leaders.