Gov. Christie On Education: We Want Our Children To Reach Higher, Farther, And Greater Than We Did

Statement

Education, public education, and charter schools as you all know are public schools. Their obligation is to provide opportunity to children and their families for a better life. That's all this is about. It gets involved in a lot of politics sometimes over time, which is unfortunate, because in the end what this is really about is about giving families the opportunities they want for their children to reach higher and farther and greater than their parents have. No matter where you live in this state, no matter what your background, that's what you want for your kids. When you have a child what you want for them is for them to do better than you did, in every way that you can define that, better academically, better socially, better athletically, better in every way that they care about. The only way we're going to do that is to continue to adjust to the world as it changes. One of the reasons I came here is just how great this school has adjusted to the changing technology in our world. All throughout this school new technologies are being used all the time, not only because they give you greater access to information and ways of learning but also it's because it's the way you all learn now. I remember my youngest daughter, who is now thirteen, when she was in first grade she had computers and she asked me, Dad, when you were in first grade who was your computer teacher? I said when I was in first grade they didn't have computers. The world has changed extraordinarily, and the way all of you live now with smartphones and iPads and social media and apps of all kinds, some that you use and some that you create yourself. Schools, teachers, administrators, parents have to change to meet the changing way that you learn, and if we do that as this school is doing you can see the results.

Source