As I stressed, education and a basic knowledge of history and the world are not just acquired in school.

(In prior generations, the grandparents were usually an integral and respected part of the family, so their direct knowledge of the past, and their hard-earned wisdom could be passed on. Families talked.)

Still, there is no substitute for an at-home exposure to a wide variety of reading material, and the necessary love of books has to be ingrained, AT HOME, prior to entry into kindergarten. Small children -- I would start at 2-3 months -- should be read to daily. Also, real parent-child conversation about the world, and how we got where we are, is fundamental.

Obviously, having educated (not just formally educated) parents helps in a huge way -- if the parent is educated, inquiring and knowledgeable (i.e., values knowledge), the child will likely become so as well.

The family, and LIFE itself is a "classroom," and you don't leave it until you die. Schools can't teach everything (least of all fundamental morals and attitudes), and that essential love of reading and thirst for knowledge has to be ingrained AT HOME. The child who was never (or rarely) read to prior to kindergarten will almost certainly never catch up, and will be doomed to a life of academic mediocrity, failure, ignorance of their world, and the past that shaped it, and continues to shape it. With a stunted, limited vocabulary come limited thought processes, insufficient problem-solving skills, and an inability to really, effectively communicate. With poor communication comes poor relationships (divorce, single parenthood, etc.), and from poor relationships come dysfunctional children -- the vicious cycle perpetuates itself.

However, just because someone was raised in a non-educational, non-communicative environment does not mean he or she is necessarily doomed to failure and the inability to have a working relationship (not just spousal relationships either -- life is made of relationships, of many kinds). It is tough, requires hard work and willpower, but one can choose to reject perpetual victim hood, and raise oneself up, to break the cycle. (That's the field I work in, and yes, doctors do come from ghettos too! Sometimes even one good role model, mentor or inspiration -- it could be a person, a book, a philosophy, a religion, etc. -- can make the difference, and tip the balance.)

If you are content with welfare, blaming your parents and teachers, disrespecting all authority and age-won wisdom and mental achievement (and disrespecting YOURSELF) however, don't expect your children to be any different. They learn the attitudes and morals they see modeled at home, and this happens by age four, and prior to entry into the school system.

If I do well in a game of Trivial Pursuit, 95% of my success is NOT due to my having done well in school, or even having gone to university (as a disgruntled opponent once maintained). No, my breadth of knowledge beyond my immediate vocation and first-hand experience comes from a life of reading, and learning, very early on, that knowledge is valuable, "power," attractive, and even "cool." It's good to be able to speak well and with some insight on a wide range of topics, and people notice this. Those who disrespect knowledge and the well-spoken disrespect themselves. Being around the educated or thoughtful makes them uncomfortable (they see themselves as distinctly lacking, in comparison to the other, and this forced self-knowledge is unwelcome, and causes pain), so they lash out, say "I don't wanna know" or "it's irrelevant to me" or "you think too much."

(I imagine they have trouble looking themselves in the eye when they shave, or apply their makeup.)

Do you call policemen "pigs" in front of your kids, curse and swear in front of them, tell them "don't take any sh*t from your teachers" (someone told me that's what she tells her kids), and call the educated "pencil pushers?" Do you tell yourself that all that educated people know is books, that they don't know sh*t about "life," or the "streets," that what they know "don't matter?" (Yes, they have lived, loved, experienced pain and -- temporary -- failure too. You don't know their past, and education is not just "handed' to someone, or gained in school.)

If you never try, you'll certainly never succeed. True, lasting happiness with yourself (and the respect of others you respect) does not come from a bigger paycheck, a flashy car, big biceps, a boob job, the latest computer toys, another beer, a big CD collection, or even a high forum post count. It comes from knowing that you've pushed yourself to your potential (whatever that is -- it could be as a mechanic, carpenter, minister, teacher or fisherman), and knowing that whatever you choose to do, you choose to do it well -- or not at all. At least you tried!

Have you subscribed to National Geographic (etc.) yet? Are there any maps on your rec room wall? Any books beside all those CDs and DVDs? Did you read a book (or five) this summer? Did you read to your toddler last night?

 Sorry to have written so much, but this is a subject very near and dear to my heart -- I genuinely care. Perhaps, in some small way, I will have helped or inspired someone. This is the hope that keeps me going. Education is the only answer to the world's woes -- or so I firmly believe. We have to start using those great big brains we have.