EDMOND — In first grade I fell in love with Mrs. Chandler at Steed Elementary School in Midwest City, and I’ve been in love with her ever since.
Teachers are special people. I remember seeing Mrs. Chandler while shopping. It was startling to find Mrs. Chandler in a store with common people. I thought there were special stores for teachers so they could get what they needed without having to be disturbed by people who were non-teachers.
It’s been some time since first grade and I have called or written Mrs. Chandler and expressed how much my life is different because of the spark of learning she nurtured in me when I was 6 years old, and I always will remember her.
Sadly, not every teacher is a Mrs. Chandler. Sometimes children in school have different attitudes toward their teachers. In some instances the studies aren’t as intense, and the last years of high school can be a bit boring. Rather than making a run at excellence, students get their tough classes out of the way and then coast in their senior year with less strenuous courses and lots of free time.
Public schools are expensive, costing taxpayers billions each year. Sometimes the school experience can be interrupted by those who don’t want to be there. They may be bored or in a position where they would rather join the workforce than be stuck in classes that mean nothing to them. Sometimes the classrooms become a warehouse to keep children because that’s the law, children have to be in school. This sometimes causes higher drop-out rates.
Why not give students who are able the the opportunity to graduate early so they can get out of school and get on with their lives? Let’s make it interesting. If a student graduates one year early because of hard work, give them a tax-free check for $1,000. If the student graduates two years early, give them a tax-free check for $2,000.
Then these students can keep from being bored, disruptive or something else, and get on with their lives. They can get a full-time job, a jump on a career in private business and start becoming one of the most important people in our society, a self-reliant taxpayer. Or they can use the money to begin a college career at a local junior college or university, or take advantage of our excellent technology centers to prepare for some other opportunity.
Great teachers, like Mrs. Chandler, are excited to get into the classroom to create a spark and desire for learning in a group of first-graders. For me that spark caused a fire that continues to burn today.
For those who may have lost the spark, sometimes spending time in high school prevents them from living their dreams and increases high school drop-out rates. Let’s reduce the high school drop-out rate and keep alive the curiosity of young people by giving students a chance to live their dreams sooner rather than later.
LARRY STEIN is an Edmond resident.
Opinion
I still love Mrs. Chandler
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