In recent days we have all been mesmerized and appalled at the steady stream of appalling news and devastating pictures and video pouring out of Japan. Our hearts go out to the untold thousands of people in this time of catastrophic injury. Nature is truly ferocious beyond belief or comprehension, and our man made accomplishments are so easily cast aside in its wake.
We are left though wondering how mankind may better prepare against such events in the future, and also facing once more in the wake of the nuclear reactor failures, contemplating a future after fossil fuels when we must have other ways in which to meet our energy needs.
These are not simple problems and they will not go away. And simple answers will not suffice. As the great newspaper man H.L. Mencken once observed “ For every difficult problem there is a simple answer ... and it’s wrong.” :-)

Complicated problems require complicated answers. Are we up to the challenge? The answer to this lies in our willingness to properly educate our children to absolutely the very best of our abilities. Only then will they be ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow. Education is the “silver bullet” that in time will cure most of societies problems.
But in today’s economic climate, schools are seeing funding cuts. Districts are facing layoffs. And the quality of education will suffer. As parents and educators we must not allow that to happen.
One way that parents can assist schools in the education of our children is by providing high quality educational assemblies which which to augment and inspire the educational process. Great science assemblies can open the minds of children to the wonders of science in ways which simply cannot be duplicated in most classrooms. A visit from a portable planetarium may inspire a child to embark on a journey leading to a career in astrophysics. An hour in the presence of an inspirational figure from the past such as Ben Franklin or Abraham Lincoln may help to mold the mind of a future statesman or perhaps, the next president.
So as we watch these terrible images, or as we listen to the next set of challenges facing us, remember that as parents we are an important part of our children's future and we have a responsibility to meet ourselves. Schools need our help. What can you do to invest in the future through your child's growing mind?

Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN