Sarah Hall53 said:You don’t live in a sleepy little town like I do, so you're probably looking at this whole emigration thing through a pretty simplified lens. We aren't just talking about twenty-somethings looking for adventure here. We’re talking about people in their thirties and even forties who end up packing up entire families—both spouses and all the kids—to head overseas. It’s usually an incredibly gut-wrenching decision, too, and most of the time, the hardest part is the kids—having to pull them out of their schools, their classrooms, and away from all their lifelong friends...
When that same kid has to spend an hour and a half commuting to school every single day with multiple transfers—whereas somewhere else abroad, everything is just more organized and efficient—the choice becomes a no-brainer. And that leads to a situation where it isn't just one person leaving the US, but four or five at once. Once two or three of those children stop seeing America as home after such a short time, they are essentially lost to us forever.
But hey, if a country views education as nothing more than a drain on the budget, then maybe it doesn't even deserve them.
First off, migration is just a natural part of life and something every country deals with. My own sister actually moved abroad, and she didn't exactly leave because she had to—she already had a great career lined up and wasn't living in some tiny, isolated town. 🤷
My parents actually came from out in the middle of nowhere. To get through high school, they had to move to Washington, D.C. At first, they were commuting every single day from their small hometowns just to get to class, but eventually, their parents helped them out by paying for some boarding houses nearby. Once they finished their education, they decided to stay in the city—mostly because there just wasn't any way to practice their professions back home in the sticks. 🤷 Well, honestly, what can you do? Things happen.
It’s a bit of a different story compared to them. For the last thirty years, we've seen massive numbers of people moving to Washington, D.C. to train as doctors, dentists, and speech therapists, and once they settle in, they rarely head back to their hometowns. It’s a shame because places like Indianapolis, Savannah, Des Moines, or even Asheville are practically starving for those kinds of specialists. I haven't really seen anyone making a big push to open up new universities just to train a handful of doctors who might stay in a place like Asheville—and honestly, there's no guarantee they will. 🥳
Third point: all those countries we keep hearing about—and even Washington, D.C., if they don't end up relocating to a different region entirely—are investing heavily in infrastructure. That includes public transit, of course, but if we’re really talking about what makes a family decide to stay put, it’s not just about high schools. For me, it always comes down to the basics: having reliable childcare and making sure there's a pediatrician within a reasonable driving distance. 19 miles)
Gas prices are climbing again, and honestly, it feels like they aren't going to stop anytime soon. It makes me wonder: if that tiny percentage of teachers who drive to work every day can't cover their own commuting costs, what happens next? I have a feeling it won't be enough. Will we end up seeing people turning to the teachers' union to demand travel reimbursements? Or will the district just try to push more online learning as a workaround? That’s the thing—in a lot of areas, that isn't even a realistic option. We still haven't solved the issue of reliable, high-speed internet infrastructure in many communities, let alone making sure every school is actually equipped with the right tech. It’s a tough spot to be in.
I still can't shake the feeling that this is mostly about protecting jobs for history, religion, and art teachers. It feels like they're just trying to keep people employed in those roles until they hit retirement age. Once everyone reaches pension age, then maybe they'll finally feel comfortable letting some of these majors be phased out.
By the way, I’ve noticed that school buses work pretty seamlessly in some of our smaller towns to get elementary students around. Honestly, I don't see why we couldn't do the exact same thing for high schools. It feels like there should be much more momentum behind an initiative to roll this out for older kids, too.
Beyond just making life easier for high schoolers when they're commuting, opening up more school options would be a huge win for everyone involved—plus, local transit companies could finally see some decent revenue. I honestly think we’d even see plenty of teachers opting for the school bus over dealing with the headache of buying a car, paying for repairs, and constantly hitting the gas station.
I honestly feel pretty bad about how Amtrak has fallen apart. It’s such a shame that we don't have reliable, well-covered rail routes anymore, especially out in the Midwest where the flat terrain would be absolutely perfect for it.
Beyond being better for the environment, it's actually safer and much faster, too. But honestly, with so many different options out there, that’s rarely been the priority.