Take back the schools-Take back our nation.

[james_bond_007]

When in college, I thought that all the foreign kids were really smart.
Then I finally realized that only the very brightest are privileged to come to the US to study (wealthy foreigners excepted).

I spoke to a Chinese friend of mine and asked how it came to be that he got to come to the US to study.
He replied that it was kind of like a contest. During each "grade", the "winners" (aka highest achievers) were allowed to participate in the next "grade" (level) of learning/school.
The "losers" were "out"...done with school for good. They were not then and never would be allowed to advance to the next level. They became the field hands and laborers for many of the manual/non-educated jobs around the country.

He expanded on this as being a HUGE motivator for him to go to great lengths to achieve success....even greater than any dishonor his failure might bring his family.

I have not seen this level of motivation very often in US students.

[sellersm]

I think I can summarize your 4 points with this phrase: abdication of responsibility. It's not just schools, but everywhere in our society today! Add to that Agenda 21 (which drives Core Curriculum) and a host of other implications (many have been mentioned already), and you have what we now know as the 'status quo'.

As for me and my house, we use alternative forms of education for a variety of reasons, and I'm glad we do. It's MY JOB to educate my children. Not the gooberment's job.

Want an interesting study? Enumerate all the 'services' of our current society and see how many equate to the gubment... Is "taking the schools" back enough? I think it'd be a good start...

[james_bond_007]

Some issues I've thought of, not already mentioned, that have contributed to the decline of education in the US

REASONS:

1) Availability of New Careers for Women - Until the 60's, most (certainly not all) women had a limited choice of career: nursing and teaching. And the very bright women excelled at these careers. Yes, there were some women that had other careers, but until the end of the "Ward and June Cleaver age" , there was not a strong concept of a "male-nurse". And yes, during the war, there were women welders, and everything else (most lkely the start of the decline of the traditional family) but after the war, things returned closer to status quo. During the 60's, women decided to put off having children, and become Doctors, Lawyers, Scientists, etc. So the really "bright" women were no longer going into teaching, but on to bigger and better careers. Thus, the quality of teachers began to become diluted.

2) Decline of the Traditional Family - Education started to dwindle around the 60's. This is the same time that women started to move out of the house and into the workforce. In my opinion, the concept of a stay-at-home mom (SaHM) has contributed significantly to the decline of a child's education. SaHM used to be much more involved in what their kids were doing (or not doing, as is the case of homework), with whom they were doing it, and provided and enforced consequences for lack of stellar academic performance. The neighborhood moms banded together, in the "battles against their kids".

So you can call me a "sexist pig" or whatever, but growing up, every mother in my neighborhood was a SaHM except three: the teacher, the nurse, and the cafeteria lady (a former SaHM). What MY mom didn't catch me doing, my neighbors did...and I got in JUST as much, if not more, trouble. I was held accountable for my actions and suffered the consequences. In some cases today, people don't eve KNOW who their neighbors are...

The two-income family has created the "latch-key" kids, who come home to an empty house and are on their own for several hours. Again, there are always exceptions, but I believe the "norm" has switched from "SaHM to Working Moms". I am not putting down families that have working moms (ya DO what cha gotta DO), nor saying that ALL working mom families have problems. But I DO believe it is a contributing factor to the decline in education.

Aside from the educational benefits of one-on-one tutoring style, I believe Home Schooling also provides a stronger a parent/child (mom or dad) experience, similar to the traditional family, since the kids and parents are "together" more. I have a hard time understanding the term spending "quality time" compared to just plain old spending " MORE time" with someone.

Again, I'm not putting down 2-income families or women going into careers. Nor am I indicating that fathers should not "step up" their responsibilities in raising kids. I'm just making a point that there seems to be a correlation with the above events and the decline of education in the US.

[SG1]

Some issues I've thought of, not already mentioned, that have contributed to the decline of education in the US

REASONS:

1) Availability of New Careers for Women - Until the 60's, most (certainly not all) women had a limited choice of career: nursing and teaching. And the very bright women excelled at these careers. Yes, there were some women that had other careers, but until the end of the "Ward and June Cleaver age" , there was not a strong concept of a "male-nurse". And yes, during the war, there were women welders, and everything else (most lkely the start of the decline of the traditional family) but after the war, things returned closer to status quo. During the 60's, women decided to put off having children, and become Doctors, Lawyers, Scientists, etc. So the really "bright" women were no longer going into teaching, but on to bigger and better careers. Thus, the quality of teachers began to become diluted.

2) Decline of the Traditional Family - Education started to dwindle around the 60's. This is the same time that women started to move out of the house and into the workforce. In my opinion, the concept of a stay-at-home mom (SaHM) has contributed significantly to the decline of a child's education. SaHM used to be much more involved in what their kids were doing (or not doing, as is the case of homework), with whom they were doing it, and provided and enforced consequences for lack of stellar academic performance. The neighborhood moms banded together, in the "battles against their kids".

So you can call me a "sexist pig" or whatever, but growing up, every mother in my neighborhood was a SaHM except three: the teacher, the nurse, and the cafeteria lady (a former SaHM). What MY mom didn't catch me doing, my neighbors did...and I got in JUST as much, if not more, trouble. I was held accountable for my actions and suffered the consequences. In some cases today, people don't eve KNOW who their neighbors are...

The two-income family has created the "latch-key" kids, who come home to an empty house and are on their own for several hours. Again, there are always exceptions, but I believe the "norm" has switched from "SaHM to Working Moms". I am not putting down families that have working moms (ya DO what cha gotta DO), nor saying that ALL working mom families have problems. But I DO believe it is a contributing factor to the decline in education.

Aside from the educational benefits of one-on-one tutoring style, I believe Home Schooling also provides a stronger a parent/child (mom or dad) experience, similar to the traditional family, since the kids and parents are "together" more. I have a hard time understanding the term spending "quality time" compared to just plain old spending " MORE time" with someone.

Again, I'm not putting down 2-income families or women going into careers. Nor am I indicating that fathers should not "step up" their responsibilities in raising kids. I'm just making a point that there seems to be a correlation with the above events and the decline of education in the US.

How do we fix this?

[UrbanWolf]

How do we fix this?

Well for the women that are working in the work force, they ain't gonna go back doing chores, nursing, or teaching again.
And for the lazyparents who let government do t he job of teaching their kids, they aint gonna start doing their parenting jobs.

Once things go south, it's hard to fix.

When i was in High School(3 years ago), my school had some of the most liberal or straight up socialistteachers, one even talked about 60% income tax so school can be imporved, more wellfare can be given, higher-eds can be free, and Obama Care can fully kick in. And the worst part is, kids LOVE these teachers with new "ideals" and are embracing them. What one generation embraces, the next demands. This nation can get a lot messier in the next 50 years.

[cstone]

You had kids for a reason and thats probably because you wanted to love them and spend time with them. DO it.

This is wisdom.

IMO, If you want to see the difference between "good" kids and "bad" kids, look at the parents who actually have a "good" reason to have kids versus the parents (sperm and egg providers) who had kids just for 15 minutes of pleasure or a need to be needed or just about any reason other than wanting to love, educate and spend time with our future.

I do not believe that We fix this problem. I fix my problem. You fix your problem. They fix their problem. When enough people take responsibility for their actions, magically problems resolve themselves. Today I am afraid we are more interested in our personal comfort than our children, our nation, our future. I am as guilty of slacking on this issue as anyone out there. The work starts with me.

I will not write off our future generations because so many progressive educators are programming the children for dependence and obedience. Historically, young people have been known to reject the values of the preceding generation. I maintain my hope that either this generation or the next will see the progressive clap trap for what it is, reject it and shoulder the responsibility for their future. Call me naive but if I didn't have hope, I wouldn't have anything.

Be safe.

[SG1]

Lets be honest, our schools are a failure at best, and taxpayer funded indoctrination centers at worst, What kids learn in schools shape them, and for too long they have been filled with moronic feel good ideals, and not values and knowledge..

If we could take back our schools, by kicking out the teachers unions, the failing teachers, and bring in school vouchers, chatter schools, we can end the cycle of low information, apathy, the ignorance of our founding culture and values.with a better education we can end the cycle of poverty with created generation after generation of Democrats.

So what is your take on this?

How can this be done? How do we get School vouchers throughout a state?

Any one find any flaws with this logic/idea?