On Thanksgiving morning, while surrounded by friends and loved ones, one of those amazing people laid the Nov. 14 issue of Time magazine on my bed with a note. It read, “Ryan, I’d be interested in your opinion of this article,” and the article is called, “When Will We Learn,” written by Fareed Zakaria.

I didn’t get a chance to read it until I got back to Durango, but it gave rise to a voice and an opinion I’ve kept a bit silent over the years. So now you, Durangoans, get to hear my opinion about this article, thanks to Norma in St. Malo.

The article succinctly summarizes the problems with American education and offers a few solutions.

The author says we are ranked “26th in the world” in terms of our overall educational system. Once, our system was the envy of the world. Now, most Asian and European students score far better their American counterparts. Why? There are a plethora of reasons, but mostly it’s because students go to school longer and more consistently over the year, there is more responsibility laid at students’ feet (there are significant carrots as well), and education is so highly valued that it is extremely well funded and resourced. Standards are high, but in Europe, for example, students go to college, trade school or vocational schools nearly free based upon their achievement.

Simply put, these cultures value education and realize that an educated and skilled workforce is the nucleus of a strong and vibrant economy. And they put their money where their mouth is – not in unfunded mandates and unrealistic goals. According to the article, “Social mobility – the beating heart of the American dream – has slowed to a standstill. Education is and always has been the fastest way up the socioeconomic ladder.” But very few Americans are moving up that ladder anymore.

So what do we have that is great in American education? Zakaria thinks that “American education at its best teaches you how to solve problems, truly understand material, question authority, think for yourself and be creative.” Hear, hear. These are just the types of things that the new small learning communities within Durango High School will foster and encourage. Depth, not breadth, and engagement are the name of the game.

I have a unique perspective in that I’ve been a teacher for 12 years, and I’ve gone to school in Europe, public school in America and private school. I believe that I have seen the best of all worlds. And we can yet again rise to be the envy of the world from preschool to higher education.

Students should shoulder much of the responsibility for their own education, but the rewards for embracing that responsibility should be great and immediate as well – such as access to affordable post-secondary education that doesn’t saddle students with tens of thousands of dollars of debt. We should once again value education, and recognize that it is the true “engine of social mobility.”

When you hear about the draconian austerity measures many European countries are facing, education is generally not among them. Why? Because they know that the heart of a society, a people and a culture is education. There, teachers teach only half the day. The rest of their eight-hour day is spent helping individual students, planning, collaborating and grading. And the rest of the school system is organized around supporting students in rigorous academic pursuits.

In other countries, no one ever says to teachers or any other school professionals: “You have it easy, you get long vacations.” Educators of all stripes are deeply respected and valued, and paid accordingly. Anyone who has spent any time around a school knows that every single day at a school is an amazing, frightening, joyous, frustrating, enlightening adventure; and that’s all before lunch.

I am happy to see that we’re heading in the right direction in Durango. We need only look at the best of our American values, and perhaps borrow some ideas from our friends in Europe to get back to the pinnacle of educational excellence. I’m hopeful that I’ll get to see it. Thanks, Norma, for everything.

Ryan Montgomery teaches 10th- and 11th-grade English at Durango High School. Reach him at r.montgomery@durangok12.co.us.