Pearls of Wisdom

At the BOE meeting two weeks ago Monday, May 7, 2012, a group of students from the Fort Lee Middle School attended en masse to show support for two teachers that had not been granted tenure.    

Several of these students approached the microphone to voice their opinions. They spoke with poise and eloquence. They displayed the astuteness of mature young adults and demonstrated  the quality of the families that live in our community. As a Fort Lee resident, one could not feel anything but pride in watching the youth of our community represent themselves in an exemplary fashion.

While BOE meetings are generally not the most pleasant experience, with the Board and the regular attendees at odds over many important issues, these meetings represent an integral part of the Democratic process.  It is important that the children of our community not only learn about Democracy and our Constitution in the classroom, but to view it in action. They can watch their peers perform brilliantly, while some of the adults perform not so spectacularly. They can learn from these meetings that “one individual can make a difference”, whether in their community or nationally.  

The future of our country has to be in the hands of our young people. Perhaps if they learn how the process is supposed to work, they will aspire to be part of it.   We need them to understand the importance of voting and supporting candidates for their qualifications, not which party with which they may be affiliated.  Perhaps it would be a step in the right direction if the Lewis F. Cole Middle School Civics classes mandated that each student must attend at least one BOE meeting or Town Council meeting each semester.

Our generation has failed to perpetuate true Democracy.  Our current “representatives” have been too busy campaigning for reelection and lining their pockets to have any time to work toward making America a better country. If one were to evaluate the individuals that supposedly represent us locally and nationally, we have a right to be disappointed and disgusted. The greed, the promiscuity, and the lack of integrity are appalling on all levels. These individuals are the best possible argument anyone could possibly make for “term limits.”

Fort Lee is producing fine young people, future leaders. These students will grow up to be architects and lawyers, doctors and engineers. Maybe one will be a genius at economics and reverse the course of our national debt escalation and save us from the eventual economic Armageddon. Hopefully, a few will grow up to be Congressmen, as envisioned by our Founding Fathers; maybe one will aspire to be President of the United States. We can only hope and be very proud that Fort Lee is producing students of such an outstanding caliber.