“What We Should Have Learned”

What did we learn from President Obama’s address to the nation? What we should have learned is that a “quick fix” for a “quick profit” will lead to decades of catastrophic decay to America’s economy, its infrastructure, health care, the environment, and education.

What we should have learned is that we must break away from the “dogmas” of the past where it is still believed that tax cuts would stimulate the economy, senior citizens didn’t need social security, health care didn’t need to be reformed, and America’s schools were adequate and our children prepared to compete in 21st century’s global economy.

What we should have learned from President Obama’s address is that tax cuts will not stimulate America’s economy, senior citizens do need social security, Medicaid and Medicare, health care must be reformed so that all Americans are insured, America’s schools infrastructure is inadequate, and children are ill-prepared to compete in 21st century’s global economy.

What we should have learned from President Obama’s address is that Americans of every ethnicity, religious, and political ideology will undoubtedly play a significant role in defining America’s future.



Best Regards,

Anthony P. Johnson, Ph.D. Candidate, Author
Founder & CEO
Dream Field Academy
647 East Raymond Street
Philadelphia, PA 19120
Office: 215-744-1773
Cell: 215-715-0355
antho@earthlink.net

“More Empty Rhetoric At The Expense of Our Children’s Academic Future.”

Our children who attend public school are just as worthy of receiving the type of first class education as children who attend private school. So the glaring discrepancy in the new stimulus package? A reduction in public school funding for improving the infrastructure and the current academic ideology that has failed to "stimulate" our children to not only complete school, attend college, and earn a degree.

Unfortunately, Mayor Nutter has made numerous "promises" that he has failed with consistent regularity to follow through regarding the children of Philadelphia. If he has no problem closing libraries and after school programs, do we really believe he wants to improve public schools for our children?

What we are hearing is the same "empty rhetoric" that we've heard time and time again--"Improve public schools so our children will have a greater chance at a better future."Rhetoric about improving public schools means absolutely nothing unless we are willing to follow through with improving the public school system. The people of Philadelphia are tired of hearing empty promises that are not backed up by a meaningful plan of action.


Best Regards,

Anthony P. Johnson, Ph.D. Candidate, Author
Founder & CEO
Dream Field Academy
647 East Raymond Street
Philadelphia, PA 19120
Office: 215-744-1773
Cell: 215-715-0355
antho@earthlink.net

"Finally."

It is time that we finally address the great crisis of our society--the obliteration of our education system.

Do we still not get it? Education is paramount to a thriving society and without it, chaos and anarchy reins. I am a Philadelphian who attended public school in what many call the “urban community.”

I was fortunate to be taught by “great educators.” What we have now are incompetent teachers, with their unions, principals and school administrations destroying what’s left of the education system.

To be fair, Dr. Ackerman, the new CEO of the Philadelphia Public Schools, has a track record of getting results such as increasing the number of students graduating from high school and test scores. Michelle Rhee, who is currently featured in TIME Magazine (“How To Fix America’s Schools” December 8, 2008) as Washington, D.C.’s new “no nonsense” school superintendent, and the one with the “prescription” to fixing America’s public schools, are cut from the same mold in their passion (bordering on zealot) that every child receives the very best education and “zero tolerance” for excuses on why this objective was not accomplished.

Since Dr. Ackerman’s hiring in 2008, she has met with some resistance from those (i.e. incompetent teachers, their unions, principals and school administration) who refuse to change for the better. Not only must we support Dr. Ackerman, we must also hold her accountable.

I’ll be candid! In the United States we are losing our children, youth, and adolescents to violence, incarceration, drugs, illiteracy, and sexual promiscuity. Are we now ready for drastic measures to be implemented to stop the “bleeding”?

In our current economic recession (I believe it’s an “economic depression”), the idealist in me believes that we will survive, rise, and overcome it. But what about the children, youth and adolescents who will become adults someday? If they are not prepared to be leaders and productive citizens in society, when another world crisis arises, how will they be prepared to address it? Without a major overhaul of the current education system in our city, our children of today who will be our adults of tomorrow will be ill equipped to face the challenges that this new decade has ushered in.