Re: Asians to dominate space too?

RMOLLISE said the following on 2/18/2006 1:27 PM:
Will Ashton wrote:
"Phil Wheeler" <w6tuh-ng7@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:%7yJf.8681
Let us not forget about the continuing breakup and decline of the American
family. Kids aren't going to feel much like studying when they see dad
leaving and taking up with the neighbor..... Maslow's pyramid at work with
the base knocked to holy heck!

> Phil

Hi Phil:

I know people are always citing stuff like this, but usually they are
folks who don't spend a lot of time with kids.

It's quite arguable that rosy glasses and _Leave It to Beaver_ or not,
the American family as experienced by most Americans is in far better
shape now than it was, say, in the 1930s.

Frankly, I think today's kids are easily as "smart" and studious on
average as we baby-boomers were.

Rod,

I definitely agree with you as to our quality of life, including that quality *available* to most families (whether or not they take advantage of it to some degree). Inflation aside, other things being equal, etc., etc., we're still far better off in many ways than we were 50 years ago. However, there's little doubt that, at least in the areas visible to me (elementary school), the quality of education has diminished. The problem isn't the kids (as you imply), but rather the adults "running" the show.

<soapbox>
A part of it, maybe a small part, is due to unqualified teachers, but that's always existed in one way or another. A MUCH larger problem is the steadily decreasing lack of disciplinary control available to teachers. My wife has taught elementary school for 20 years and has had 8 year olds tell her to her face, "You can't touch me." Problem is, they're right. She can't touch them, pretty much no matter what they do. They can be sent to the Pricipal's office, even suspended for days, but it makes no difference. Many times the parents don't even know they've been suspended, nor care if they do know. Besides, the Principal shouldn't be there to apply discipline that should have happened long ago in the classroom before the issue became critical. Plus, there's always the educational value of the rest of the students seeing Johnny B. Problem get his problem corrected right there in the classroom.

There are, of course, good students and good parents but the (perceived?) fear of litigation, bad PR and whatnot has gradually taken away disciplinary authority based on judgmental discretion (and the supervisory support for it), replacing it with procedures, forms and programs. That way, no one is ever ultimately responsible for anything - They have the checked-off forms to prove it. And in the process, the educational experience is suffering.

My wife has taught Special Ed and has an autistic class this year. She spends more time on paperwork, plans and other useless distractions than she does no actually teaching the students (and that's no exaggeration). These ideas largely come from bureaucrats in the educational system that have little if any practical experience in the classroom, but have the authority to tell teachers how to do their jobs. And of course, we all know how that situation couples nicely with subsonic pay grades...

Problem is, I don't see it getting any better until parents get over their "My little Johnny /can't/ have misbehaved!" denial mentality and allow teachers disciplinary control in their classrooms. And it will have to happen on a large scale before anything changes.
</soapbox>

Well, I guess I've ranted enough. Besides, all that has nothing to do with Asians, nor Icelanders, for that matter ... :-)
--

---- Len Philpot -------- len@xxxxxxxxxxx
------- ><> ------------- http://members.cox.net/lenphilpot/
.

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