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May
31, 2005 History is a subject most of us leave behind when our formal education is over. We are left with an often vaguely remembered collage of names, dates and events that purportedly explain how we ended up in the present. It is from these individual remembrances that our collective identity is formed and, hopefully, passed on. Memorial Day weekend is a harbinger of summer and we look forward to warmer weather and the amiable sociability of outdoor gatherings with friends and neighbors. That somber holiday is more than a rite of passage to outdoor grilling. It, like most holidays, looks back in time. (Even Mother's Day marks a moment in history and honors the source of our individual beginnings.) The veterans who march in our parades are a living link to those who became part of our history before their times. So let's give history its due. As we recall an enjoyable weekend let's also reflect on the lessons of the past that it commemorates. The true worth of remembrance is not merely about yesterday and today, but tomorrow. Necessity may be the mother of invention but history has proven to be the mother of much necessity. Understanding our past enables the present and empowers the future. Recently we passed the school budget at referendum on the first vote. Who among us doesn't regard the quality of our children's education as a community priority? Like our other vital institutions, this country's educational system has undergone many changes and confronted many challenges. It does not only teach history. It has one. "No Child Left Behind" is a recent example that I find troublesome. It conjures up images of some deserted child left on a distant shore while the rest of us embark on a journey to some better place. The reality is that we are all in the same boat. The pursuit of higher test scores may placate the federal government and keep funding flowing but it is no guarantor of quality in our children's education. The truth is that test scores are an engine that dives quantitative results that have nothing to do with the quality of their future. The lessons of history can be harsh: we are responsible for our own future. Understanding the past and its mistakes teaches something that universal testing cannot – how to think critically. History often debunks the fervor of a mythologized future filled with easy solutions and faith in science and technology. Tests don't teach, teachers do. We need to support the people who help mold our children intellectually as much, if not more, than the testing that merely classifies them. We have a new Superintendent for our school system and he is still on his honeymoon. I wish Mr. Mala well in his efforts to improve the quality of the education our children get. I am encouraged by his statements to date, especially concerning curriculum revision. I urge everyone concerned about education in this town to support him in his efforts to untether education from the anchor of testing. Perhaps then we can all set sail to a brighter horizon. (To learn more about the Killingworth Democratic Town Committee, visit http://www.killingworth.dems.info or join us at out next meeting at the Library on Sunday, June 5, at 7 p.m.) Ray Celmer is a member of the Killingworth Democratic Town Committee and an experienced educator, having taught middle school, high school and college students. |
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