When the Challenger exploded after take off at Cape Canaveral, all I could think about was what Christa McAuliffe said, “Teachers touch the future.” With the challenges teachers face today, I hope Christa’s words are still true. There have been so many medical and scientific advances since that year, and I know my grandchildren know more now than I knew at their ages.
With that perspective, we haven’t really done more for education in our nation’s state and federal budgets. Our elected officials still fight over whether the education of our children is as important as the military appropriations are. We rank 35th in the world for our education system compared to many other nations where education is the top priority. CRT, Critical Race Theory, is challenging teachers in what truths of history they are allowed to teach. Being taught from behind a computer screen was necessary during COVID, but many children are not thriving because of what they lost in face-to-face teaching.
Teachers strive to teach the best they can for all students, but I am concerned whether they can touch the futures for all students. As a retired public school teacher, I am still responsible to help my private students reach their highest potentials. Christa taught science; I taught music. Which was more important? Both! Students need both the facts and the musical notes to become contributors to our society. There is no state or federal budget that is more important than the sciences, literature, and the arts. Touching the future is more important than arming the world for destruction.
Anna Hartt
