When OK isn't good enough

I just read this article, and what really struck me was the reminder of the absolute apathy so many parents have toward their children's education.

I know some parents who are rather interested and do some research to move into a 'good school district', but I know many more who simply assume that whatever school is near will be OK.

And truth be told most kids are OK, not like they are being shot in class..... well at least not too often.  Nor are their fights in the school yard..... at least not every day.  And even if their are fights or shootings, most of the kids are OK.  4 dead out of a couple hundred is a pretty small minority (and when you add in the number of schools cross the country even smaller looking at the percent of crimes committed in my state it is about 1%-5% depending on district).  And every kid gets busted up some time.  Kids are tough, most don't turn goth or suicidal over being bullied, or picked on.  The few that do, well, they aren't most are they?

And academically while some schools have less than 2%0 of kids proficient at grade level, other schools have plenty to balance that out to a nationwide average of 50%, and so long as your kid isn't one of the ones falling behind they are prolly OK academically. And besides, you don't need that much knowledge in the real world, and any you do need for a job, you can prolly self teach as an adult, so yeah the kid will be OK.

But is 'OK' good enough?  While most kids who grow up in a home of smokers do manage 'OK' (a little asthma is not the end of the world, you can just take an inhaler with you the rest of your life), I don't think it is good enough.  I don't smoke (quit when I got engaged to be married, I knew kids were likely to follow the wedding date).

OK isn't my dream for my children.  OK is the housework you did with a 'lick and a promise'  you know barely scratching the surface of the dirt, hoping most of whats left isn't visible and promising to get back to it another day.  I doubt the bathroom minds.  But what about kids.  Do kids just deserve OK?  Is OK the reason you researched nutrition for your kids and passed on the Pepsi for breakfast bandwagon?  Is OK the reason you have them wear a bike helmet or seat belt?

Is OK really good enough, or should we be striving for the stars..... and know that we will never get there, but we will get an awful lot higher than OK.