By REP. JAMIE ALLARD
When I was a little girl, I always thought it was pretty cool that my own birthday was a day before Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. We wrote essays about our favorite president, and I couldn’t help but be drawn to Lincoln. I liked thinking I had something in common with him. We have such active minds as children, and what connects and draws us to others is so amazing. That’s what national holidays and long weekends and school parties and essays about presidents are for: Celebrating the things that connect us and make us Americans, delighting in our common bonds, honoring the past, and looking to the future.
Presidents’ Day celebrates the birthdays and lives of President George Washington and President Abraham Lincoln, and honors all of those who have served as our nation’s leader. Widely considered the two best presidents in our nation’s history, Washington and Lincoln were humble, respectful, and wise. Their demeanor won the hearts of the American people. Their leadership guided us through two wars that shaped the identity of our nation and changed the course of world history.
Lincoln gave us one of the most famous and eloquent speeches in U.S. history. Washington gave us a foundation of moral fortitude and the triumph of a common cause in our fight for freedom. These men were trailblazers who fathered our independence and liberty. They are the quintessential role models of leadership and service.
And I find it very interesting that amongst all of their accolades, you won’t find a college degree. From humble means, they both had minimal formal education. And yet no one could argue that they were uneducated. Their thirst for knowledge motivated their life long journeys of self-education.
It wasn’t long ago that a school day in America started with the Pledge of Allegiance. Values like “liberty and justice for all” were the pillars of high quality education and strengthened our communities. Children were taught how to read and write and how to think for themselves, not what to think nor programmed with ideological indoctrination that violates the rights of parents. Education is the springboard to that American “pursuit of happiness.” It inspires us to reach new heights, like the moon, or the presidency.
Education also reminds us to not repeat the mistakes of the past. A solid foundation can prepare you for life’s inevitable difficulties, and pave the way to a brighter future.
Thomas Jefferson said, “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government; …whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.” Well, we are noticing.
I think Jefferson, Washington, and Lincoln would agree that we have a crisis in our public education system. They might weep at the state of our high school seniors graduating unable to read. A strong nation can be brought to its knees when an entire generation is crippled by a failed education system.
However, across the country there is a movement of parents and students alike who, like Jefferson, recognize the immeasurable value of an excellent education, and know that power is in their own hands.
Public schools are failing. Alaska is nearly dead last in the nation. It is time for us to look for solutions that create real results. Market competition, school choice, accountability for every tax payer dollar spent, reducing bloated administrations and supporting teachers, there are many avenues to explore. But none of the solutions are throwing other people’s money into a hole of problems and expecting different results.
I find the best way to honor those who came before us is to learn from their stories. Washington and Lincoln were some of the most revered and admired men in our history, and they educated themselves.
We can trust parents to know what is best for their children. We can flip school budgets upside down, investing the money where it belongs with school vouchers for students. We can get back to the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. It’s time for radical solutions. It’s time to be trailblazers like the great presidents before us, honoring the past, looking to the future.
As you enjoy a day off this holiday weekend, please take a moment to consider…how would you solve the education crisis? The future of our nation depends on it.
Rep. Jamie Allard serves in the Alaska Legislature on behalf of the people of Eagle River.
