The Problems as I See Them

The problems with our compulsory education in the United States are myriad. Things are so out of whack, I couldn't even begin to write about them all, but I do believe in some specific things that will not only help our kids to succeed. It MIGHT even get them to like the idea of school, at least more so than they do now.

I know there are millions of you out there that have heard exactly what I am about to write. "But you get paid to go to work. I don't get paid nothing to go to school."
Most of the time we are at a loss to come up with an argument that makes sense, even to us. So... don't! Tell them they are absolutely correct in the schema from which they come. Tell them that there are things in this world that one does not get paid for but are more important than pay. Tell them that there are people starving in China, Africa, Afghanistan, Iraq, the South, whatever you want, BUT make than think. Get those haughty excuses for young humans to open their minds and ask a question, even if it is to themselves. Use the grandest words you can think of to get that, "What the hell did she just say?" look in your sons' and daughters' eyes. In short give them the biggest load of bullshit you can possibly swing their way.

They will, mark my words, try to find out what you were saying. Most likely you won't be asked, which might bode very well for you, but they WILL look for something that helps them understand what you said. When they finally come to you it is time to show them how they are paid.

You might want to take it from a literal standpoint and show them how much in taxes you pay each year to keep them in that factory sized babysitting environment. You might want to explain what you spend in school clothes, transportation, fees, food, or whatever, in order that they have what they need every day. You may want to do nothing of the sort and just tell them that life isn't fair and they have to go to school or go to jail. The choice is yours BUT, that choice is slowly being taken away.

There is a reason for this, you know. The few that do not do their best to raise their kids and expect others to do it are causing the community leaders, police, judges, and, yes, many of us to attempt legislating parental skills. It will never work. We have to take the power out of the hands of the government, meaning judges, social service agencies, police, even schools themselves, and take control. These are OUR kids and this is OUR service to be provided by those we hire using our taxes. We need to ensure that we are not EVER intimidated by the "ivory tower," of the educational institution. We all went through it in one way or another, therefore have an intimate knowledge of how things work. Why is it then that we all feel so lost when we go back as adults? It really makes no sense does it?