173
REALITY
All living creatures on the planet must contend with the
realities of nature. No free lunches. Nature has beauty and
cruelty, but always reality.
As a human, I must deal with nature. Being high on
the food chain I appreciate the countless other creatures
that make the good life possible. I try to do as little
damage as possible to the planet. Humans have done countless
things to make life more pleasant for most of us, but they
also cause problems. One of the problems is our school
system. Much publicity and controversy and demands for more
money for schools. I have some suggestions which will be
extremely unpopular but could be worth thinking about.
1. Have schools start about age 7 or 8. Younger than
that could be considered day-care.
2. Small schools. California can no longer pay for
school bussing.
3. Subjects like music would be mostly paid for by the
students. Unless they were naturally gifted musically.
4. Cut down on sports, especially where they take long
trips.
5. Day-care centers should all be small and local. No
bussing.
6. The state can no longer afford extensive social
experimentation.
7. In day-care centers, there should be great stress on
learning the language. English should be the primary
language, but most children should learn two or three
secondary languages. Parents and children should be fluent
in speaking languages.
8. Math has been given a sacred place in schools. It
is not that vital. Every child should memorize the
multiplication tables.
9. Learning a language, singing should be used
extensively. Children should be fluent in their native
language.
10. Immigrants who do not speak English in the home
could come to day-care centers which would also have night
classes. Each class should resemble a cottage industry.
Everyone should learn to do something useful. They should
produce things that are saleable. This will help to increase
self-esteem. A young person could say, "Look, I make things
with my hands for people and they are willing to pay for
them." This shows they were needed. The children should
strive to speak fluently, develop skills with their hands and
also be involved in earning money.
