--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I question whether we can afford to teach…" description: "\"I question whether we can afford to teach mother macramé when Johnny still can't read.\" — Jerry Brown" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/jerry-brown-7257_education_i-question-whether-we-can-afford-to-teac_1767503.jpg" --- # I question whether we can afford to teach mother macramé… ![“I question whether we can afford to teach mother macramé when Johnny still can't read.” quote by Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/jerry-brown-7257_education_i-question-whether-we-can-afford-to-teac_1767503.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/jerry-brown-7257_education_i-question-whether-we-can-afford-to-teac_1767503.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/jerry-brown-7257_education_i-question-whether-we-can-afford-to-teac_1767503.jpg) > “I question whether we can afford to teach mother macramé when Johnny still can't read.” [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritizing basic literacy is essential; allocating resources to advanced crafts like macramé is premature when fundamental reading skills are lacking. **In simple terms:** Teach reading before advanced crafts. Key Takeaway Focus on literacy first. Themes education priorities resource allocation social equity Mood concerned pragmatic Type policy social When to use this quote - school curriculum design - community education programs - budget planning Key Concepts literacy skill development public policy Questions to Reflect On - What are the most effective ways to improve adult literacy? - How can we integrate arts without compromising basic education? A Different Perspective Advanced skills can be valuable but may divert funds from critical needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afford Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afford-teach-1748187/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Macramé Johnny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/macram-johnny-1748185/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Macramé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-macram-1748188/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Question Afford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-afford-736300/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Teach Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach-mother-1748186/) ## Related quotes > [By asking the question How can I afford it? your brain is put to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/by-asking-the-question-how-can-i-afford-it-your-brain-is-put-to-work/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [The question is not whether we can afford to invest in every child; it is whether we can afford not to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/the-question-is-not-whether-we-can-afford-to-invest-in-every-child-it/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [Schools must inquire deeper into their own practices, explore new ways to motivate their learners, make use of learning styles, introduce multiple intelligences, integrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fullan/schools-must-inquire-deeper-into-their-own-practices-explore-new-ways/) [Michael Fullan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fullan/) > [There are really only two ways to teach. You can inspire the student to voluntarily and enthusiastically choose to do the hard work necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/there-are-really-only-two-ways-to-teach-you-can-inspire-the-student/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [Exercise teaches you the pleasure of discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/exercise-teaches-you-the-pleasure-of-discipline/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [I worry about Las Vegas schools. I hear in math, they only teach them to count to 21.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/i-worry-about-las-vegas-schools-i-hear-in-math-they-only-teach-them/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [I really don't know what I could teach and don't really plan to teach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/i-really-don-t-know-what-i-could-teach-and-don-t-really-plan-to-teach/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. 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We have to create cooperatives, we have to create intentional communities, we have to work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/we-have-to-deal-with-where-we-are-we-have-to-create-cooperatives-we/) [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) > [America and the world is not yet on the proper trajectory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/america-and-the-world-is-not-yet-on-the-proper-trajectory/) [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) > [I will defend everybody, every man, woman and child who's come to California for a better life and has contributed to the well-being of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/i-will-defend-everybody-every-man-woman-and-child-who-s-come-to/) [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) > [We have to be realistic about what the state can afford, and put an end to abuses of the system that cost millions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/we-have-to-be-realistic-about-what-the-state-can-afford-and-put-an/) [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) > [The sovereignty of America has just been eroded in plain daylight by Clinton and the Congress, who take an oath to the Constitution. 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Protect the Earth. Serve the People, and Explore the Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/my-principles-are-simple-protect-the-earth-serve-the-people-and/) [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) > [ The way people are treated in them \[prisons\] is very similar to gulags. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/the-way-people-are-treated-in-them-prisons-is-very-similar-to-gulags/) [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) > [The great problem with government is that it never goes bankrupt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/the-great-problem-with-government-is-that-it-never-goes-bankrupt/) [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) > [The Republicans are committed to global warming as a hoax, or irrelevant, or as not a problem. That is their belief. I'm not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/the-republicans-are-committed-to-global-warming-as-a-hoax-or/) [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) > [I supported to reduce oil consumption in California by 50 percent, 50 percent in the next 15 years. They didn't even bother to show up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/i-supported-to-reduce-oil-consumption-in-california-by-50-percent-50/) [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) [Explore all 93 Jerry Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. 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They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/) [Ioannes Amos Commenius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ioannes-amos-commenius/) > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) [H.D. 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If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I question whether we can afford to teach mother macramé when Johnny still can't read.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jerry Brown" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/i-question-whether-we-can-afford-to-teach-mother-macram-when-johnny/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/i-question-whether-we-can-afford-to-teach-mother-macram-when-johnny/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/jerry-brown-7257_education_i-question-whether-we-can-afford-to-teac_1767503.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/jerry-brown-7257_education_i-question-whether-we-can-afford-to-teac_1767503.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/jerry-brown-7257_education_i-question-whether-we-can-afford-to-teac_1767503.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I question whether we can afford to teach mother macramé when Johnny still can't read.” — Jerry Brown", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jerry Brown", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I question whether we can afford...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/i-question-whether-we-can-afford-to-teach-mother-macram-when-johnny/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/i-question-whether-we-can-afford-to-teach-mother-macram-when-johnny/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```