Consistency and discipline beat talent every time. Some people are born with innate wonderous talent. The rest of us have to practice, over and over again, to achieve the results we desire.
The words our parents used to repeat couldn’t have proven more valuable: Don’t give up. Keep at it. Don’t quit. Whether it was piano lessons, baseball practice or saying our “times tables” (kids don’t do that anymore — there’s a “new math”), there was something magical to the art of repetition. For the sake of improving our schools, our children and our opportunities, we must “get back to basics” and start learning again.
A few weeks ago, the new superintendent of Española schools, Eric Spencer, displayed the district’s report card all across this paper. Page after page, we could see just how poorly we’re doing. No fanfare. No apologies. And no excuses. Took a lot of guts to show the world just where we stand. But not doing so would have been a tremendous injustice to our community. I commend Mr. Spencer and cheer him on. It is essential to first take stock of our current abilities and inabilities as well as our talents and shortcomings. You don’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you are.
And where we are … is not great.
In reading comprehension, only 26% of Española students have the ability to read and write at the expected level for the student’s grade. In math, things look worse. Only 11% of students in each grade can do math competently for their grade level. This statistic is worth repeating. Eleven percent of Española students can perform mathematics at their grade level.
Mr. Spencer agreed that the district must do more to teach the basics that our kids need to succeed. But the onus of that success falls on the community, the value we place on education and parents. If we can’t get our kids to school, then we set up ourselves to fail. Only 67% of all Española students attend school regularly. That means one out of every three children doesn’t get to school. Imagine the burden that places on teachers, the system and other students when all we do is play catch up.
The value we place on educating our children has fallen by the wayside. Though I am all for celebrating the little things in life, it seems we have grown more accustomed to overcompensating our children’s successes. I feel badly for the parents who — out of guilt or not wanting to be the only parents not to do so — are forced to stage elaborate and over the top “graduation” ceremonies when their children pass kindergarten, then the first grade. Then there’s another graduation party for fifth grade, middle school and pretty much every grade in between.
We have begun to devalue the education process by turning what should be the least that we expect out of our kids into excessive shows of astounding success. I’m certainly not saying we shouldn’t be proud of our children’s milestones. But passing to the next grade level ought to be the bare minimum we expect.
When it is all said and done, 75% of our students wind up graduating from high school. With all of the deficiencies and bad rap we get, we still are a community of good, maybe even great, people. We have to push harder and get our kids to the classroom. Most importantly, we have to be consistent. We’re not born geniuses for the most part. So we have to put in the work. Discipline. Consistency. If we stink at math, guest what? Do math. If we can’t read, keep practicing. Nothing else matters. Do math, do reading, do science. Over and over and over again. It’s the only way.
Javier Sanchez is a former Española mayor and an El Rito Media investor.