Universal Health Care: The First Step to Education Reform
Healthy children learn. Unhealthy children do not. Therefore,
Before tackling any other education issue, the Obama administration and Congress should enact a plan that ensures adequate and comprehensive universal health care.
Linda sent me a report the other day talking about the impact health issues have on kids in poverty and their ability to focus/learn. Health care is absolutely intertwined with education. I remember when Travis was unable to work because his teeth were rotting out of his head. Thus, he was in severe pain. (I can't think when I have a small headache!) Last year Paolo broke his finger, but was unable to find health care, so he just tried to work with it swollen and hurting. CRAZY! Then, there are the brothers who experienced great trauma in their home country. They never received counseling and, imagine! are not successful in school now! We will be paying outrageous amounts of money to support them (in one manner or another) the rest of their lives. We must become more compassionate, if we ever hope to level the academic playing field.
As for health care BEFORE educational reform--they need to work hand in hand. Every moment we put off academic reforms based on student need, we are losing another valuable soul.
I think our compassion will be more evident with this new administration!
Karen, mea culpa for not attending to your post before this.
Certainly, health care and reform and education reform need to work hand in hand. From what I learned during the presidential election campaigns and the appointments made by Mr. Obama to date, I think that health care reform is more likely to succeed politically than education reform. I don't think that Mr. Obama "gets it" in regard to publicc education.
2 comments:
Linda sent me a report the other day talking about the impact health issues have on kids in poverty and their ability to focus/learn. Health care is absolutely intertwined with education. I remember when Travis was unable to work because his teeth were rotting out of his head. Thus, he was in severe pain. (I can't think when I have a small headache!) Last year Paolo broke his finger, but was unable to find health care, so he just tried to work with it swollen and hurting. CRAZY! Then, there are the brothers who experienced great trauma in their home country. They never received counseling and, imagine! are not successful in school now! We will be paying outrageous amounts of money to support them (in one manner or another) the rest of their lives. We must become more compassionate, if we ever hope to level the academic playing field.
As for health care BEFORE educational reform--they need to work hand in hand. Every moment we put off academic reforms based on student need, we are losing another valuable soul.
I think our compassion will be more evident with this new administration!
K
Karen, mea culpa for not attending to your post before this.
Certainly, health care and reform and education reform need to work hand in hand. From what I learned during the presidential election campaigns and the appointments made by Mr. Obama to date, I think that health care reform is more likely to succeed politically than education reform. I don't think that Mr. Obama "gets it" in regard to publicc education.
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