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| Each month, guest columnists U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and U.S. Sen. John Ensign answer questions on topics that matter to young Nevadans. Send your questions on government and politics to senators@classmag.com | |
| TOPIC: Education and Personal Experiences | |
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| Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) grew up in the small, desert town of Searchlight, Nev. and graduated from Basic High School. At Basic, he joined the school’s boxing team and discovered an interest in politics that has led to his poisition as one of the most important lawmakers in America. For more info, visit reid.senate.gov. | Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) was raised in northern Nevada and moved to southern Nevada to graduate from Clark High School. In addition to bringing millions of extra dollars to Nevada schools through his Education High Growth Grant amendment, he has also worked as a veterinarian. For more info, visit ensign.senate.gov. |
| “My job today is to look out for... students in danger of losing their dreams of going to college.” -Sen. Harry Reid | “Every experience you have in life influences you and helps shape you.” -Sen. John Ensign |
| Since tuition is rising and budgets are being cut, will the government increase financial aid? What can it do to help students go to school? | |
| Reid: We passed legislation in Congress to help reduce the cost of going to college and make it easier to get financial aid. I sponsored the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which increased grants and reduced student loan interest rates, making it easier for Nevada graduates to pay back their student loans. We also passed the America COMPETES Act to increase the number of teachers in challenging Advanced Placement classes so students can be better prepared for tough college courses. In the last Congress, I also acquired more than $5 million for education programs in Nevada.
Additionally, education will be a major focus in the economic recovery package we are working on right now. I hope to include aid to the state of Nevada to keep teachers in our classrooms in the face of budget cuts. We want to provide funding for school construction and modernization so schools are safe, state-of-the-art, comfortable places for learning. There’s no better investment in our nation’s future than quality education and strong schools. This economic recovery package will jump start the American economy, and in a strong economy more of you can afford to go to college. |
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| Ensign: There is a wealth of sources for financial aid that many students do not even know about. I have a guide to many of these opportunities on my website, and I think it is beneficial to get this information to as many students as possible -- on websites and through college fairs across the country. The more students who can afford to earn a college degree, the more educated a workforce we have to compete in a global economy. | |
| What did you learn in high school that has helped you become successful? | |
| Reid: Teamwork is important in anything you do in life, and that is certainly true when it comes to working in Congress. While my position as the Senate Majority Leader allows me to do good things for Nevada, I still need the help of others to get things done. That is one reason why my relationship with Sen. John Ensign is so important. Even though I’m a democrat and he’s a republican, we work together every day on ways to make Nevada an even better place to live. In fact, because we’re on different sides of the aisle, we can get more done for our state than senators from some other states that may have two republicans or two democrats (remember, each state has two senators). During tough votes on issues that are important to Nevada, I can bring democrats to the table that Sen. Ensign might not be able to attract, and he can to the same with republicans. Teamwork is key to success in the Senate. | |
| Ensign: High school is a milestone in the lives of all teenagers. It provides an increased sense of independence, creates academic challenges and introduces a new level of socialization. Being able to balance all of these helps prepare one for success in college and in life. There is a greater need for time management in high school as well as a need for greater personal responsibility. These are both critical for future success. | |
| What teacher or class was the most influential for you and why? | |
| Reid: Mike O’Callaghan arrived at Basic High School my senior year there and he would be my history teacher, my boxing coach and my best friend. Eventually he would be governor of the state of Nevada at the same time I was elected lieutenant governor. Back in Henderson, he was the toughest guy I ever met. He had lost his leg in the Korean War, but that didn’t stop him from taking on bullies and teaching us how to box at the Henderson Boys Club.
O’Callaghan was our hero. Nobody messed with him. And when he was around, nobody messed with the little guy either. One of the many things he taught me was that little guy was worth fighting for. A lot of people are “little guys” right now because of this economic crisis. My job today is to look out for families in danger of losing their homes, Nevadans in danger of losing their jobs and students in danger of losing their dreams of going to college. |
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| Ensign: I believe that every experience you have in life influences you and helps shape you. A teacher who loves science can inspire her students to be more interested in that field; a classroom that exudes excitement for literature can produce a future bestselling author; and a passionate history teacher can ensure that his classroom will one day be led by an equally passionate history teacher. I always enjoyed my science classes, and several of my teachers at Clark High School furthered that interest. That is what eventually led me to become a veterinarian -- my profession before becoming an elected official. Veterinary medicine, for me, was the perfect combination of science and helping people by helping their pets.
Educators have the opportunity to greatly influence all their students, and that is why it is so important that we continue to promote education as the worthy career that it is. This includes paying our effective teachers more and weeding out the teachers who don’t make the grade. It also means making sure that those who teach science, technology, engineering and math are qualified not just to teach but to teach these critical subjects. If the United States is to remain competitive in an increasingly global economy, our students must excel in these subjects. |
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