Good grief ... this just ticks me off

[unionmom]

..."We have one of the highest emergency call rates ... in the country. Not in the county. But in the whole country," Green said, citing information she found online.

Green said that as long as the unemployment rate remains high in places like Mableton, crime will continue to be a problem. She also noted the high dropout rate among black males in Georgia's high schools.

"Desperate people will do desperate things," she said. "We've got to address those two critical areas: no jobs and the failure of the education system."...

...and the failure of the education system...

Really? Not a failure of the families to instill in these young people the value of an education? Not the failure of the families to ensure that these young people get their butts to school? Not the failure of these families to bust some backsides when these young people don't do as they are supposed to do? Come on ... you have to own it before you can fix it. As long as you keep laying the blame somewhere else it will never be right.

 

[mei lan]

It's always somebody else's fault. ALWAYS.

You know, it's odd. I've been unemployed a few times in my life, and somehow it never occurred to me to rob or riot or commit any crime, come to think of it. Wonder what's wrong with me? GAH!!!

 

[newsjunky]

..."We have one of the highest emergency call rates ... in the country. Not in the county. But in the whole country," Green said, citing information she found online.

Green said that as long as the unemployment rate remains high in places like Mableton, crime will continue to be a problem. She also noted the high dropout rate among black males in Georgia's high schools.

"Desperate people will do desperate things," she said. "We've got to address those two critical areas: no jobs and the failure of the education system."...

...and the failure of the education system...

Really? Not a failure of the families to instill in these young people the value of an education? Not the failure of the families to ensure that these young people get their butts to school? Not the failure of these families to bust some backsides when these young people don't do as they are supposed to do? Come on ... you have to own it before you can fix it. As long as you keep laying the blame somewhere else it will never be right.

Schools need to focus on life skills for some of these kids instead of Algebra II. They might graduate instead of dropping out.

 

[newsjunky]

It's always somebody else's fault. ALWAYS.

You know, it's odd. I've been unemployed a few times in my life, and somehow it never occurred to me to rob or riot or commit any crime, come to think of it. Wonder what's wrong with me? GAH!!!

Me either!!! Guess there is something wrong with both of us!!

 

[lotstodo]

..."We have one of the highest emergency call rates ... in the country. Not in the county. But in the whole country," Green said, citing information she found online.

Green said that as long as the unemployment rate remains high in places like Mableton, crime will continue to be a problem. She also noted the high dropout rate among black males in Georgia's high schools.

"Desperate people will do desperate things," she said. "We've got to address those two critical areas: no jobs and the failure of the education system."...

...and the failure of the education system...

Really? Not a failure of the families to instill in these young people the value of an education? Not the failure of the families to ensure that these young people get their butts to school? Not the failure of these families to bust some backsides when these young people don't do as they are supposed to do? Come on ... you have to own it before you can fix it. As long as you keep laying the blame somewhere else it will never be right.

Schools need to focus on life skills for some of these kids instead of Algebra II. They might graduate instead of dropping out.

While I understand the point, I have to say that the primary responsibility for social and moral education lies with the parent, not the school system. I'm not saying that the schools should look the other way when a kid steps out of line, but that many parents appear to take absolutely no responsibility for their children after the age of 6.

 

[mei lan]

Schools need to focus on life skills for some of these kids instead of Algebra II. They might graduate instead of dropping out.

Oh, now you made a great point there, sister. I swear, this insane push for everybody to go to college NO MATTER WHAT is just silly, not to mention counterproductive. How about some mechanicin' skills, or hair-cuttin' skills, or plumbin' skills? BELIEVE ME - in a down economy, professionals aren't gonna be the ones still working...but those jobs will ALWAYS be there.

 

[unionmom]

Schools need to focus on life skills for some of these kids instead of Algebra II. They might graduate instead of dropping out.

No offense but I really hope you are kidding. The last thing these kids need is for the system to change the reality of life for them. Somebody needs to teach them that sometimes there are things that you just have to do in life and school is one of them. If they can't suck it up and push through to graduate high school how on earth are they ever going to be prepared to suck it up and push through the bad days, months, etc. out there in the real world, in a real job? It's like the school systems that don't want to hurt kids' feelings by failing them. You fail in the real world sometimes too and the sooner these kids learn that and learn how to handle it the better off they'll be.

 

[gog8tors]

Schools need to focus on life skills for some of these kids instead of Algebra II. They might graduate instead of dropping out.

Oh, now you made a great point there, sister. I swear, this insane push for everybody to go to college NO MATTER WHAT is just silly, not to mention counterproductive. How about some mechanicin' skills, or hair-cuttin' skills, or plumbin' skills? BELIEVE ME - in a down economy, professionals aren't gonna be the ones still working...but those jobs will ALWAYS be there.

Exactly!!!!

You know my kids can aggravate the heck out of me at home, but they know if they don't behave at school they will regret it when they get home. Some people think it's a bad thing if your kids are afraid of you (when they step out of line) I say it's not a bad thing.

 

[Madea]

...and the failure of the education system...

Really? Not a failure of the families to instill in these young people the value of an education? Not the failure of the families to ensure that these young people get their butts to school? Not the failure of these families to bust some backsides when these young people don't do as they are supposed to do? Come on ... you have to own it before you can fix it. As long as you keep laying the blame somewhere else it will never be right.

Why can't I blame the education system? I am relying on the government for EVERYTHING! If they aren't producing, it's their fault, not mine. :neenerbutt

 

[Grey Colson]

It's time to begin holding parents criminally responsible for the actions of their minor children when they allow them to run wild.

 

[unionmom]

Oh, now you made a great point there, sister. I swear, this insane push for everybody to go to college NO MATTER WHAT is just silly, not to mention counterproductive. How about some mechanicin' skills, or hair-cuttin' skills, or plumbin' skills? BELIEVE ME - in a down economy, professionals aren't gonna be the ones still working...but those jobs will ALWAYS be there.

And in a down economy when there are teacher lay-offs and cut-backs all over the place ... where is the money for these programs coming from? Which programs should be cut first, these or the ones school is actually bound to provide for our children? And aren't there tons of trade school options available for kids after high school if they choose not to go to college? Our schools are there to educate our children in the basics, not teach them job skills. Nice when it can be done as an extra (we had shop, auto mech., cosmetology, fashion design, etc. in my high school) but those are all extras and absolutely not what k-12 is intended to provide.

 

[newsjunky]

Schools need to focus on life skills for some of these kids instead of Algebra II. They might graduate instead of dropping out.

No offense but I really hope you are kidding. The last thing these kids need is for the system to change the reality of life for them. Somebody needs to teach them that sometimes there are things that you just have to do in life and school is one of them. If they can't suck it up and push through to graduate high school how on earth are they ever going to be prepared to suck it up and push through the bad days, months, etc. out there in the real world, in a real job? It's like the school systems that don't want to hurt kids' feelings by failing them. You fail in the real world sometimes too and the sooner these kids learn that and learn how to handle it the better off they'll be.

I get your point and I agree that little criminals should be taught a lesson. I am not kidding! I still think if they are in school they are not on the street. If school demands that a kid be able to master a level far over his/her head he/she will drop out. Why stay and fail year after year? I am not blaming the government it is just another problem that could contribute.

 

[unionmom]

I get your point and I agree that little criminals should be taught a lesson. I am not kidding! I still think if they are in school they are not on the street. If school demands that a kid be able to master a level far over his/her head he/she will drop out. Why stay and fail year after year? I am not blaming the government it is just another problem that could contribute.

I do agree that not every kid should be in trig-analysis and not every kid should be in advanced chem. so we are on the same page on that one.

This is not only a good argument for basic graduation requirements and then counseling for class selection for students bound for college but it is also a good argument for bringing back the remedial or special ed classes. A lot of these kids have so many very real issues that get in the way of their ability to focus and learn like other kids that it is unreasonable to expect them to be able to relate and process in the same way yet it is somehow wrong to put them in separate classes. It ain't a race thing, yo ... and if somebody doesn't get over that bit of ignorance and start fighting for these kids we're all going to lose. Instead, the "leaders" in their community will continue to make excuses and lay blame elsewhere and things will continue to get worse and worse.

 

[mei lan]

Oh, now you made a great point there, sister. I swear, this insane push for everybody to go to college NO MATTER WHAT is just silly, not to mention counterproductive. How about some mechanicin' skills, or hair-cuttin' skills, or plumbin' skills? BELIEVE ME - in a down economy, professionals aren't gonna be the ones still working...but those jobs will ALWAYS be there.

And in a down economy when there are teacher lay-offs and cut-backs all over the place ... where is the money for these programs coming from? Which programs should be cut first, these or the ones school is actually bound to provide for our children? And aren't there tons of trade school options available for kids after high school if they choose not to go to college? Our schools are there to educate our children in the basics, not teach them job skills. Nice when it can be done as an extra (we had shop, auto mech., cosmetology, fashion design, etc. in my high school) but those are all extras and absolutely not what k-12 is intended to provide.

I think we agree...I was just referring to the push some schools have for super super class stuff instead of common sense stuff. YES, I think they should be taught the basics, majorly.

 

[Foxmeister]

It's time to begin holding parents criminally responsible for the actions of their minor children when they allow them to run wild.

Exactly right! The military is that way. If a dependent of a military member commits an offense on the military installation, the military member is held accountable for it. I've seen where dependent children who went around keying others automobiles were banned from base. This forced those military members to move their families out of base housing and live on the local economy. The military members also faced punitive charges from their commanders.