Children To Suffer The High Cost Of Education

Tough luck, kids. That goes for your parents, too. Oh, yeah, let's not forget the teachers - the ones who will still have a job.

Face it, boys and girls, education is just too darned expensive. You'll have to make do with the leftovers from the budget cuts set forth by the Hernando County School Board. Your quality of learning will be hit hard, but you're not likely to realize it until you find yourself at a disadvantage if you should actually graduate with an honorable grade point average and try to make it on your own in the job market.

It'll be even more of a challenge if you venture outside Florida because, even though schools all over the country are facing the same budget cuts, education here will still be considered one of worst in the nation.

But, hey, kids, with fewer teachers you'll have the opportunity to make more friends because class sizes will increase. Your favorite teacher might not be around next year and the help you've gotten from math and reading coaches will leave you on your own unless a classmate or a family member can fill the void. And learn to do a better job of cleaning up your classroom messes because fewer janitors mean more discipline on your part.

Yep, economically burdensome times are insensitive to the hardships that fall upon everybody's back, which is to say that things won't be as bad as they could have been, although the future holds no assurances that further cuts won't be just around the next summer vacation break.

Eventually, Mom and Dad might have to taxi your little bodies to school if school bus routes are reduced or eliminated. You might find yourself hoofin' it, wearing down the tread on your sneakers. You would have to be very careful shuffling along the side of the road in the wee hours of the morning to get to school on time because there aren't always sidewalks or sufficient street lighting, so wear bright colors and reflectors (that's cool!) and a helmet with a flashing red light. Safety first.

But don't worry, little ones. Mom and Dad won't put you in such danger. Either they or another adult will make sure you're not in harm's way because they love you so very, very much. They might moan and groan at the inconvenience or even get angry, but it won't be directed at you. Try to understand their jobs could be in jeopardy if they should be tardy at getting to work. You know what tardy is and how it can affect your attendance record - not good. For them, it could mean losing their jobs and that would affect the security of your family's home.

Boys and girls, you're about to learn some very important lessons, ones that will help prepare you for the eventual introduction to living on your own as you enter the adult job market. A four-day school week, if mandated by the school board, could give you some insight on how those extra hours on the "job" give you an extra day off - and another stress on Mom and Dad thanks to extra daycare expenses. Just like adults, you'll find it's no vacation because you'll end up spending part of the day doing household chores. Unfortunately, you'll have the extra task of catching up on homework. I agree, that's pretty yucky, but it will be necessary just as your teacher will have to spend even more time than he or she already does to grade papers after school.

All of these changes will help prepare you for adjusting to future job markets, however, many years before you graduate. By the way, don't count on going to college. The cost of higher education is even more expensive and, for now, your parents might not be able to add to your college fund. I pray they aren't forced to dip into your learning nest egg just to make ends meet.

Maybe Mom and Dad will give you a private lesson on money management by putting a bunch of pennies in a pile and dividing them into smaller groups. One for food, clothing, doctors, car expenses, cable. The biggest pile will be for housing, including electricity and water (nothing is free). Then watch closely as they take away a few pennies from each pile, because of lost wages or higher expenses, and you might understand that there are not as many pennies to go around. Forget about getting an allowance.

You'll pass the lesson with a gold star if you live your life as a penny-pincher. Teach your children as well, for they too will be faced with the same learning disability: the high cost of education.