The Raising of America

              I found most everything about the video to be both interesting and rather important, however, I do feel the statistics provided about children who had the early development opportunities, and how they were not only achieving more, but increasing the amount of money put back into our economy, whether it be because of a higher paying job, or having a job and not needing well fare or going into prison, to be the most intriguing. When I watched the video, I kept being reminded of a parable about two missionaries who visit a village in Africa. They come into the village and go to the river and see a man drowning in the river, they quickly do what they can to rescue him, and then see another individual drowning. This goes on for several days before they decide to try and find out why people are continually drowning in the river. They go to the source of the issue and deal with that problem, so that less people or no people will drown, as opposed to continually pulling people out of the water. I feel like sometimes this is this focus of those in charge of reforming education. They look at the drowning students and try pulling them out of the water, and then wonder why there are still people drowning. What needs to happen is what this video clearly demonstrates, we need to go to the beginning and implement strategies to prevent students from being put into those drowning situations. If this were to happen, and the money that the Senator from Utah was talking about was actually saved, it would be vital to reinvest those funds back into education.

        This video definitely raises many questions, the biggest being why haven't we done this yet? I understand that upfront there is a large cost, but is the risk not worth it? Because, it seems fairly clear that this system will, for the most part, work; thus, saving millions of dollars which can be transferred back into low income school districts to offer better opportunities to the schools where they see the achievement gaps widening, allowing better opportunities for all students. My hope is that our educational reforms will begin to head in this direction.

The Chimney Sweeper: When my mother died I was very young

BY WILLIAM BLAKE

When my mother died I was very young,

And my father sold me while yet my tongue

Could scarcely cry " 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!"

So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.

There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head

That curled like a lamb's back, was shaved, so I said,

"Hush, Tom! never mind it, for when your head's bare,

You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair."

And so he was quiet, & that very night,

As Tom was a-sleeping he had such a sight!

That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, & Jack,

Were all of them locked up in coffins of black;

And by came an Angel who had a bright key,

And he opened the coffins & set them all free;

Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing they run,

And wash in a river and shine in the Sun.

Then naked & white, all their bags left behind,

They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind.

And the Angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,

He'd have God for his father & never want joy.

And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark

And got with our bags & our brushes to work.

Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy & warm;

So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.