Andrew Gutierrez sent the following letter (response sent from mail@cartalk.com).
Hey Fellahs,
Love your show...yada yada...you guys are great.
I have a few ideas in reference to your Education Forum that you may or may not find interesting, and they are as follows:
The state of secondary and post-secondary education in this country is failing (very perceptive, aren't I!). This is due to a number of reasons of which most people are aware. Included in these reasons are money, lack of qualified educators and parental apathy.
Parental negligence is the most dominant of these reasons why individuals between the ages of 18 and 23 years are not well rounded enough to be considered educated in a social sense. This is seen by most as a problem in itself, but I tend to think this is really only an effect of the real problem.
The real problem, and the real reason why I wrote this grossly verbose message, is that parents are becoming parents for the wrong reason. Most children are not being raised by people who have anything to teach to their children. So the educators who should be scrutinized are parents. Parents are the most important educators in this country, and if parents are seen as educators and are becoming parents for the right reason, we would have more socially educated people now. You cannot assume the role of a teacher until you have something to teach. Moreover, you cannot teach unless you have a strong grasp of the learning process and are willing to learn yourself.
In response to the question, What is an educated person? an educated person primarily should be able to sustain life without being a burden to society. Also, they should have a well-rounded respect for all people. More importantly, however, they should be able to parent a child who would not be a burden to society and can live and communicate in a civilized, respectable manner. I don't think this is too much to ask from educators and parents.
That's all, no more...my fingers are tired.
Sincerely, Andrew Gutierrez
McDonough, Georgia
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