Last week became “Stuart Education” Week for me. I spent time at J.D. Parker and Stuart Middle School. Since these are the public schools that serve Stuart children, I thought it was appropriate to take a look. What I found was very pleasing to me and should be for every parent, tax payer and resident of the county.
I started off the week with Dr. Chris Jones, the principal of Parker. His enthusiasm for the kids and learning was contagious. It seemed the staff and teachers were delighted to be at the school. They were doing everything possible and were successfully motivating the children to learn their lessons. Children at this age are like sponges just soaking up everything around them. Language arts and math, of course, are most important, but the students also have art, music and P.E. to round out the curriculum. The only thing I would like to see would be the introduction of a second language in our elementary schools as is the case in most of the rest of the developed world.
For the past 46 years, Sigrid George has called Stuart Middle home. She started as a teacher and has now been the principal for several generations of students. Ms. George not only believes in the value of the school for our children but her own children and grandchildren have been students there. I spoke to several civics classes and was amazed at their general knowledge of government especially their knowledge of local responsibilities. If I am lucky, I will be invited back in the spring to speak to these kids again.
My children were already adults when we moved to Stuart so they did not attend Martin County schools. So like so many of our residents, I really did not know what to expect when I walked through the door of these schools. I was both surprised and pleased to know that our children were learning not only the basics but also have the opportunity to take elective courses such as marketing which introduces different concepts but reinforce math and language arts.
Could things be improved at these schools? Sure they could. Both principals have ideas and plans that will do just that. There is no panacea for making our education system better. When we compare ourselves to the world, our reading scores are 17th, math 31st, and science 23rd. While Martin schools rank near the top in the state, Florida is still not a top tier state for education. But any failings belong to us as a community, a state and a nation and not the students who attend the schools.
Just because I no longer have children in school doesn’t mean I shouldn’t remain involved in our schools. These kids are going to grow up and be the nation’s future. I want to support them all I can. All of us should.