I am a teacher and I believe in public schools. There is no greater opportunity for a child to secure a bright future than getting an excellent education. However, many people think of education mostly in terms of acquiring a set of academic or functional skills in order to get a good job and contribute to the greater economy. And while that is important, I think our schools have a far more important role in teaching students real-life skills such as citizenship and tolerance. Developing these types of social skills allow children to participate in our wider society. Eventually students will be able to vote, attend church, determine where to live, decide which organizations to join, select businesses to associate with, and whether or not to get involved with politics. Thus, like Thomas Jefferson, I believe our very democracy depends upon a “well- educated electorate.”

Public schools also provide an equal opportunity for all children to aspire to greatness. Public schools serve special needs students, children from poor families, and kids from a variety of different life circumstances. Educating all of these young people, together, teaches them the value of basic human dignity and how to respect everyone, regardless of spoken language, skin color, or other differences. Education provides possibilities for kids and opens doors to their future.

Each student deserves a fair chance to achieve success, and their potential depends upon how we treat and support them. Education is carried out mostly at the local level, but the federal government provides key resources and sustenance. Title 1 funding, college applications guidance, special education research, and training for teachers and school administrators are aspects of our educational system that are usually provided by the federal monies that school systems receive. So, eliminating the U.S Department of Education, which the current administration has vowed to do, is not a wise idea. Money is not everything, but school funding levels reflect the value that we place on the education of our kids. Let’s not sacrifice our children’s potential on the questionable altar of cost-cutting. A federal Department of Education demonstrates how important education is to our nation’s future.