Karen l. Mulder, a guest columnist on The
Daily Glean, was bemoaning the budget cuts that will affect the staffing,
and, thus, the hours and maintenance of some of our national treasures: the
parks, the hundreds of historic sites, and, more specifically, The Smithsonian.
She wrote: “What is
it about a trip to D.C. that entices thousands of teachers and chaperones to
spend a day herding cats and sugar lows? For one thing, interactive learning is
regaining credence as the modus operandi of education’s future. After
all, a ten-year-old with a smart phone has access within half a second to more
historical facts than the most learned medieval and Renaissance scholars could
hope to glean in a lifetime of erudition. Enticing our children to appreciate
the value of historical knowledge, when it is so easily gained, is quite the
challenge.”
An educated populace is, it is hoped, an open-minded
populace. To me, the education of our
populace is the last place for budget cuts. Yes, that ten-year-old has access
to all that great information, but something has to pique his interest – and
that’s where museums and parks and historic sites play their part. They’ve got
to be kept open and running for as many hours as possible. They widen the scope
of any lessons learned in school. They add a bit of “wow!” and “oh gee, look at
that!” to the every-day stuff.
Saturday, September
28, is Museum Day. Go to the Smithsonian page,
see what museums are participating in your area, and print yourself a ticket
for two to the museum of your choice.
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