From time to time, especially when the budget and the costs of education are being discussed, a community member will inevitably ask me why our schools do not spend more time on “the basics” -- the three Rs of “reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic.” These conversations always seem to harken back to the “good old days,” when things seemed simpler and in retrospect, seemed to work better and were cheaper. Unfortunately, the “good old days” are more myth than reality.