One of the more difficult concepts to explain to children is the
difference between
”
wants
”
and
”
needs.
”
I see young children in the mall or at the grocery store begging
their parent to buy something that they feel they absolutely must
have.
One of the more difficult concepts to explain to children is the difference between “wants” and “needs.” I see young children in the mall or at the grocery store begging their parent to buy something that they feel they absolutely must have. You never see a kid pleading with his mom to buy him underwear or broccoli, these being items that they might actually need. Instead, they tend to beg for candy, trading cards or glitter nail polish.
I have been thinking about wants and needs lately, on a slightly larger scale. Globally, I would say that I want world peace. Until the majority of people on the planet believe that living in harmony with your fellow man is a priority, world peace doesn’t qualify as a need. Truth be told, we have learned to live without it. I would like our president to know that while he might want democracies all over the world, it is not a need. There is a growing need to get our troops out of Iraq.
Locally, there are few more needs left. The last thing we need is another huge retail store, but enough people seem to want this type of enterprise, so they will keep on coming. We really don’t need another venue where we can purchase a $3 cup of coffee; by my count we have five of these places in town already.
I’d like to opine that we need a really good bakery, like Gayle’s Bakery, but I realize that my desire for a good loaf of rye bread falls short of being an absolute necessity. The same can be said for the lack of a decent delicatessen in Gilroy. We could really use one good deli instead of yet another Subway/Quiznos /Togos which are merely semi-fast food places trying to pass themselves off as delis. We don’t need to revitalize downtown Gilroy. It would be nice, but it’s kind of a pipe dream. For every new Happy Dog Pizza we gain downtown, we lose a fairly new business like Kimz of Avalon to Morgan Hill.
I have high hopes for Happy Dog, but I had high hopes for their predecessors, too. Opening a business downtown is not for the faint of heart.
One pressing need we have in Gilroy is for an additional Catholic Church. St. Mary’s has got to be one of the most overcrowded parishes in the state. In other parts of the country, towns of less than 10,000 people support one parish. Here in Gilroy, I’d guess that at least one-third of the population is Catholic. It isn’t just that I want to get a seat at Easter mass; we really do need another Catholic Church.
For our school district, there are very distinct wants and needs. A good solid academic program is a need for all students. Good teachers are an absolute necessity. Special programs which fall outside the bounds of meeting the needs of students fall under the category of “wish list.” Arts and musical programs, sports programs which go above and beyond the mandates of physical education, and cultural programs are all wants. I believe they are important, I am happy to raise funds for them, but they are not the backbone of a good academic program.
As I participated in the strategic plan update, I was astounded at what some people perceive to be the top priorities. One person was advocating for “more Spanish in the classroom.”
For those readers who are still unpacking the moving boxes, we have a vocal minority of people here in Gilroy who think it is their birthright to have their children taught in a language which is not the language of every other classroom in the United States. The language of the American classroom is English, no matter how you slice it.
While you may love the opportunity afforded to you and your child, realize that it comes at the expense of other children whose cultural or ethnic background doesn’t allow them to demand that the state of California or Gilroy Unified School District owes it to their children to be educated in any language other than English. If our school district decides to continue to appease this group, I can’t wait to see what happens when a court decides that Gilroy’s bilingual education program must be delivered without prejudice to all students, regardless of their home language.
Those who advocate for bilingual education or dual immersion must face the fact that these are not necessary academic programs, they are wants. It bothers me that these misguided people make the mistake of allowing their children to eat the candy before the broccoli. It remains to be seen if they will be successful in convincing the rest of us that the candy is just as important as the broccoli.
