My momma always said..."Learn something new everyday", and she didn't mean arts and crafts. She was a Mary, true to her name, a simple educator who began her career in an old red schoolhouse in a community called Turkey Run. With a strong belief in the original three r's, reading, 'riting and 'rithmatic, as the saying went, when it came to the math, she knew the important things to teach were the +'s and -'s, not how to spell plus and minus.
These days seem to demand that we learn at least one new thing a day. I'd even suggest three a day now, as we move ever faster and so much new knowledge is given to us. After decades of true poverty early in the last century, many of my generation were proud to raise the first generation of college and university graduates in their respective families. The struggles were long and hard, but much to be proud of for the parent, and most often a source of gratitude for the child. I wonder how the priorities and perspectives of the parents, and thus the child, will affect the students learning when tuition and books are given freely to the student. It seems to me that it robs the parent of their sense of accomplishment and the child of experiencing the gratitude. There are two lessons not learned, that the people will pay for.
