And they say new clean-power industries will create million of jobs,
Reducing the ranks of the unemployed before they turn into violent mobs.
But I don't know which groups are correct, which the fools and which the sages.
I haven't read the entire bill yet, it consists of twelve hundred pages.
And so, it's time to move ahead to the last of Obama's priorities,
It's education, which needs improvement, about which everyone agrees.
"No child left behind", which is still in place, has not helped the children learn,
At least, the remedies suggested 'til now won't do it either as far as I can discern.
Suggestions based upon smaller class sizes and merit pay for teachers,
May do some good, but they won't make most students 'anxious-to-learn' creatures.
Until we stop "teaching to the test", and take advantage of the latest technology,
We'll never get students to learn what they could, nor will we change their basic psychology.
Today, we still teach as we have for thousands of years, with a teacher in front of the class
He or she has no way of knowing, if the students understand the lesson or whether they'll fail or pass.
But if computers replaced the text books and the lessons were taught by them too,
The lessons could be much more dynamic, with motion, and actions and even cartoons, that some clever programmer drew.
The computer could talk to the student and student could reply the same way
And if the student said, "I don't understand", that's all the student would have to say.
The computer would break the lesson apart into simpler and simpler parts,
Until the student could understand what was taught, and stand well up in the charts.
The computer would keep statistics of how much each student completed,
And for those who had fallen behind or took too much time, the teacher would offer help, as needed.
Homework would be done in a similar way and tests taken on the computer, too,
With help given along the way, so final answers were correct and true.
Grades would be based on computer records of how rapidly each student progressed,
The teacher's loads would be greatly reduced, no grading of homework or tests.
But students always getting their answers right, would surely raise their morale,
To the point student would begin to think of the computer is his or her pal.
There are other benefits to using computers in the way I have defined,
Although, before this could all happen, much new software would have to be designed.
And a different configuration for the hardware, would should make the unit more acceptable,
But even with computers as they are today, the concept should be quite respectable.
Right now each student requires one book for each subject and each grade
And if we look at K through twelve that might require as many as 60 books, I'm afraid.
One computer per student could meet all the text book needs, and be a more powerful tool
And think of all the forests that would be saved, if we put this system in every school.
So if Obama wants to meet all the major objectives he'd like to achieve,
He shouldn't forget education, it could be one of the most useful, I believe,
To make the United States of America an even better place to thrive
And help get us out of this mess we're in, and keep our hopes alive.
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