On the other hand, they cannot ignore children who are hungry, neglected, and abused. We sought to find, in the Basic School report, a middle ground. We propose that every school should have at least a health and counseling professional to handle the basic physical and emotional needs of children. But we strongly urge that the school take the lead in trying to build a partnership with other social agencies in the neighborhood, to deal with problems that are more acute and to help rebuild the sense of community, not just within the school itself, but within the neighborhood as well. All to save the children.
Children are, after all, our most precious resource.
And if we as a nation cannot commit ourselves to help the coming generation, if local communities cannot work collectively on behalf of children, then I do wonder what will bring this country back together. Thus far, I have considered three of the four priorities for the Basic School. Bringing people together to build community, bringing the curriculum together to achieve coherence, and bringing resources together to enrich learning. The fourth building block of the Basic School we call a commitment to character. It relates the lessons of the classroom to the ethical and moral lives of students.