Ultimately, learning is up to the student

I have been thinking and reading about Benjamin Franklin. So it was with considerable shock that I read the Jan. 7 headline story, “The cost of reform.” It seems impossible that we are (government is) still trying to perfect education.

Because his parents couldn't afford to keep sending him, Franklin only had two years of formal schooling. But, his education did not end. He read every book he could get. He worked on grammar and reasoning and honed his writing. He learned the basics of math and science and the fundamentals of navigation. He partially mastered five languages. In citizenship, industry, invention, innovation and diplomacy, he became one of the most revered of Americans.

It seems there is too much emphasis on the giving side of education and not enough on the receiving side. We speak of someone earning a master's or doctorate, but all of learning is earned, regardless of the age of the student. It takes an investment of time, effort and thought.

Parents, teachers and all of society should let students know that learning is primarily their responsibility. Our futures depend on it.

Alvin Cummings

Walker