The Doors of Opportunity

"That is why we will provide the support necessary for you to complete college and meet a new goal: by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.[...]

These education policies will open the doors of opportunity for our children. But it is up to us to ensure they walk through them. In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a President, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children’s education must begin at home."

President Obama in an address to a joint session of Congress tonight.


While there was a lot he said that meant a lot to me, on this one all I can say is, amen.

On a related note, my 16-year-old son Brandon is in the process of filling out paperwork to apply for Tennessee Governor's Academy for Mathematics and Science. It means he'd live in Knoxville (1.5 hours away) for the better part of the year (rough on me!), but it also means he'd have some amazing educational opportunities in the field he's interested in, engineering, and an educational environment that encourages experimentation and exploration... which is more than can be said for pretty much any public school system I've known. It'll be amazingly competitive - 24 students for the entire state. My feelings are mixed but he is extremely excited about this opportunity and I can only hope he makes the cut. But the first thing I thought when I discovered that this amazing school even exists was, kudos Governor Bredesen! I only wish the opportunity was available to more students. Whether Bran makes it or not I consider it a huge honor that he was offered the chance to apply.