America was once a nation that led the world in education but we have fallen behind in my opinion due to a lack of vision from both leadership and the populace. America no longer looks to its own for the best and brightest minds. Today America looks to India, Japan, the former Soviet Union and others for talent. Despite this fact Americans have not become alarmed that our country is slowly being taken away from us and instead of our children acquiring the country from us they will serve the foreigners that come to run our country. Dont be too upset about this fact, someone has to make the fries, we cant all be surgeons or CEO's. We have filled our childrens minds with sports and entertainment. Instead of excelling in the classroom they want to sing or toss a ball to be successfull but we forget to tell them that only a small fraction make it to stardom. What happens to those that cannot rebound from the rejection of sports fame or entertainment? We usually see these individuals working odd jobs or on street corners peddling because no one told them the truth nor were they prepared for the post rejection future.
I believe that today our focus should be on our future and our children. We should demand that our tax dollars go for Americans and not overseas for the development of others. If you pay taxes then you should be able to see your tax dollars at work for the improvement of your condition and the developmentof our country. Americans should not sit idle when we hear grim reports concerning the disparity between students in our country. If students cant read in this country we as Americans should all feel the shame of failing to properly prepare those students for their future. It is adults that teach and direct children and if we dont do our duty we not only fail those children but we undermine our future and progression as a nation. Americans should demand a standard curriculm nationwide to enable our students to achieve a determined level of education by the time of graduation. Math, science, history and english should be top priority in our educational system. Teachers should be the consults for such curriculum because they are with the children and know what works and what doesnt. Education cannot be dictated from an office in Washington nor from City Hall. Team sports are good but students dont get paid for participation and sports should not overshadow the importance of an education. We should heed the signs that country is in educational decline before we all end up saying "Welcome to McDonalds".