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A Personal Response to Dana Goldstein’s Scratching the Surface of Obama’s Education Rhetoric

Dana Goldstein, Puffin Foundation writing fellow at The Nation Institute, recently released an article concerning President Obama’s stance on education in his State of the Union Address. Goldstein’s article highlights several arguments that I strongly agree with. 

I’ve attended private school all my life. I went to a Catholic grade school, a Catholic high school and I even decided to attend a Catholic college. I chose Cabrini College because it was something that I was used to. I enjoyed the small class sizes and the small-school atmosphere because that is what I was surrounded by all my life.

The vote totals on two different statewide referenda in Ohio on Tuesday offer ample evidence of what is currently troubling to the nation’s citizenry.

I took journalism classes my sophomore and junior years of college, and I can honestly say they were some of the best years of my life because the lessons I learned in those classes still impact me today.

As an intern through The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, I am thrown into countless extraordinary opportunities that I would not have access to elsewhere. Having an internship is a career-changing experience in itself, but being involved in a program like The Washington Center in the heart of the nation’s capital definitely provides a lot of perks.

My entire life I’ve done my best to keep politics out. I never liked it. It just seemed like a bunch of people constantly fighting over meaningless topics. It had this negative connotation in my mind that I couldn’t shake. I grew up in a Republican family and the very little I knew was based on conservative beliefs. I still hold many of these beliefs today but I’m more curious than I’ve ever been. That is why I came to Washington D.C. and that is why I decided to work with Tricom.

In the midst of the worldwide technology boom, our nation’s leaders are trying to find a responsible way to enhance our youth’s learning experience by assimilating technology into daily education.

Merriam-Webster defines cheating as “acting dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain advantage.” It is frowned upon because, among other things, it promotes bad character and deceit. As a young student, everyone is taught to do their own work and earn their own grade rather than cheat off a friend or neighbor at a nearby desk. It is a fairly simple lesson that has become increasingly complicated due, in part, to the rapid growth of technology.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was dishonorable and un-American, and we celebrate today as it officially becomes a relic of the past,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz tweeted on September 20, the day the law was repealed.

Since President Barack Obama’s public address last Thursday, he has been traveling the United States pushing his jobs bill to all that will listen. A common theme has occurred throughout his promotional trip. Mr. Obama has been visiting schools at every stop. On Sept. 13, Mr. Obama traveled to a high school in Columbus, Ohio challenging Congress to act on his $447 billion proposal of tax cuts and stimulus projects. All of this is an effort to put people back to work and improve our educational system.