I appreciate the recent Editorial about Nevada reaching the last spot in education (The Problem’s Not Only In The Classroom: Progress January 15, 2014). And I can say I wasn’t surprised. Every quarter my children, who are only in elementary school, receive a district letter of Statewide statistics, along with population percentages. Approximately 90% of K-12 students reside in Clark County. And Clark County’s statistics are, in fact, abysmal, just as the Editorial and article stated.
Now, I didn’t panic and start packing up my bags because I did not move to this valley to be in Clark County (I’ve known it’s abhorrent statistics for a long time). Our schools here are not Clark County, my childrens’ teachers are not Clark County and my home is most definitely NOT Clark County. Our county’s high school matriculation rate is in the dumps, but not our valley’s. Our county’s secondary education graduation rate is awful too, but not our valley’s (although ours is low).
Mr. Jim Scanlon was a little on the mark when he said that kids need to be taught hard work ethics, and we don’t necessarily need to push a college degree (“Too Much Emphasis On College Degree: Progress Jan. 22, 2014). And that’s true, many families in the valley have hard working roots that continue on. Plumbers, electricians, mechanics, Simplot, Nevada Power, Apex, Overton Power District, MV Telephone Co, MV Water District, firemen, policemen, etc. All of these jobs require hard work and dedication, but not necessarily a college education. And there is nothing wrong with that. I wouldn’t be able to eat, drink, sleep, work, play comfortably in the safety of my home without the vast majority of these workers who don’t in fact, hold a college degree.
But that is not the point of the Editorial or this letter. The fact is, that encouraging high school graduation and secondary education starts in the home, not the classroom, not the county nor the popularity or worth of the state colleges. And for the most part, secondary education is not a priority in Clark County homes. And I can bravely say education itself is not a priority in Clark County.
Thankfully, we are not Clark County. Homes that encourage and value a secondary education most likely have children that succeed in college after high school. Homes that encourage and value honesty and hard work ethics most likely have children that work hard and dedicate their lives to contributing to society, with or without a college education.
I know that many of the homes and families that make this valley great encourage all of those things, and that is why we live here. We are a valley that is full of honest, loving and hard working families that still teach values in their homes.
I believe as long as the parents in this Valley stay dedicated in teaching values and their children’s education we can keep the ebb of the County and its dismal statistics away from here.
Annie C. Leavitt
