Some poems were sent to me this week, beginning with:
A twig that was once on a pine tree
"One hundred grains of sand
"Some water from a waterfall
"I held them and let them flee
"as I opened my hand
"to let them all fly into
"nature's grasp."

It was written by my 9-year-old grandson John Peter Bosco, and I went through a number of emotions, like pride, surprise and joy that a child so young could have such a vision of nature. I, too, had written poetry, beginning at age 9, but not like this. My first one was an utterly uncharming:
"I have a baby brother,
"His hair is golden brown,
"He cuddles up to mother,
"Until she puts him down."
Wow, enough of that!

So what am I driving at? Simply, that we must as a society recognize the talents and brilliance of our young ones. And no surprise, for they already have experienced a world full of brain stimulation, what with television, the Internet and an entire range of technologies. Whenever I talk to parents these days, they comment on how much brighter their children are than the parents were at a similar age.

Society needs to focus on giving our children --- all of them, from the inner-city poor to the wealthy --- the education that can bring out the gifts each has.

You might ask, Isn't this being done in our nation? Not according to some recent reporting. A mid-July New York Times editorial said, "American schoolchildren are performing at mediocre levels in reading, math and science --- wherever they attend school."

We've heard the mantra from the White House about leaving no child behind ever since the "No Child Left Behind" bill was passed. But touting a program is one thing and examining its true success is another. As Arthur T. Costigan, an assistant professor of education at Queens College, wrote in a letter to the Times, "We have been in a neoconservative era of education that stresses cramming facts into kids' heads, sees learning as skills and drills, and tests children mercilessly. The problem is that this is simply not the way children learn."

I have heard some people say that we need to put more money into education, while others say that the government is spending plenty on it. But guess what accounted for the biggest cuts in the latest Congressional budget bill? Student aid.

Some $12.7 billion of the savings, or 32 percent of the cuts, came from the federal student loan program. About 70 percent of the savings in student aid "comes off the backs of students and their families," Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said, expressing concern for low- and middle-income families.

One other problem looms when it comes to our children's education, one I confronted when I was a human rights commissioner on Long Island in the 1970s. Too many children go to bed hungry and have little or nothing to eat when they wake up. In January, a report in Parade magazine showed that this still is a disgraceful problem. The publication said, "Every day in this nation, more than 13 million children don't get enough food."

It's hard for a child to hit the books when the stomach is growling.

Some poems from my grandchild made me think again about our greatest treasures --- our children --- and our responsibility to ensure that they are treasured, not only in love, but also in the tax money needed to provide them with an education that will launch them into adulthood.

Antoinette Bosco is an author and Catholic News Service columnist. Her latest book is, "Growing in Faith When a Catholic Marriage Fails" (Resurrection Press/Catholic Book Publishing).