The other day I dropped my five-year-old son Max off for his first day of Kindergarten at our local public school. I must say it was a really emotional moment for me. Watching him stand in line, waiting for his teacher to invite him into the classroom — a big, independent kid. It seems just yesterday I was up all night shh-ing baby Max to sleep. Everyone says it, but it’s true; they grow up so fast.
And as I drove away from the school, I couldn’t help thinking about his future, and what the world will look like for grownup Max. Will he get the solid public school education he deserves? Will he be able to get into a good college or will competition be too steep? Not to mention the fact that his college fund tanked with the recent market downturn and will need to recover handsomely to pay the whopping 200K they’re projecting a 4 year education will cost.
I’m typically a very optimistic person, but I guess as a parent I’m just genetically programmed to worry. Which brings me to an important point. I recently read a new report by the National Center for Educational Statistics that shows US students are lagging behind kids from other countries, especially in math and science.
The US has always been the land of opportunity, and a big piece of that has been driven by our schools churning out brilliant science and technology leaders. If we continue to slip, I believe that will have a lasting impact not just on Max’s welfare, but also in the continued creation of the innovative technologies that have fueled our economic growth and corporate earnings. Who will create the next Intel, Dell, Microsoft or Google? If we don’t right this ship, our children may not have the same opportunities that we currently enjoy.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Do you feel your kids are getting a good education? Are you concerned about saving for college? Do you think the economic meltdown will have far reaching consequences our children will have to deal with? Give me your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks!
Anonymous comments are disabled
The above content is provided for educational and informational purposes only, does not constitute a recommendation to enter in any securities transactions or to engage in any of the investment strategies presented in such content, and does not represent the opinions of Zecco or its employees.