Sorry, didn't mean to step on someone's toes. Actually, you're right, I mispoke, I should not have blamed just the teachers..... I do hold the parents responsible, but I also hold the teachers, the school board and mostly Government responsible for the absolutely shameful state of our childrens education. The parents because it's their responsibilty to control and guide their children. If they don't take an active role in their childs education then they are failing as a parent. The school board and the teachers because it's their responsibility to raise warning flags if they see a flaw in the cirriculum they are required to teach or how they are required to teach it. I also blame the teachers union, which is way too powerful and blocks any attempt to remove a poorly performing teacher, so all the teachers suffer as well as the students. Lastly, I blame the government, as being mostly responsibe because they set the cirriculum that the teachers are forced to teach. They dumb down the requirements, change the subjects, remove subjects, etc., all at their whim or whatever is politically expedient. A perfect example is the length of time that a teacher is given to teach a subject. It takes a certain amount of time to transfer knowledge they have on a particular subject from the teacher to a student. if the cirriculum is changed every year (and sometimes in the middle of the year) it's almost impossible for the teacher to teach it properly. And that's been going on like that for over 25 years now in New Jersey. And being a past member of the Board of Education I know a little of what I speak. I was also the technology chairman of the PTO in our town and was a member of the PTO every year that my son was in school here. Oh, and my sister-in-law, who is also a past Mayor in my town, retired after 25 years as a teacher here.
So yes, I do blame the teachers. Not entirely, but they are far from innocent. To be certain, there are some very fine, very dedicated teachers, and they are gems that should be treasured and listened to when they say something, but there are also bad ones in the system that just want to collect a paycheck. They don't give a damn about what they teach or how they teach it... and they are protected by a union that drags the good ones down to their level.
No, I am not going to hold the parents alone accountable, any more than I'm going to hold teachers alone accountable, or the school board, or the government. There is more then enough blame to go around for everyone.
__________________
1987 V20 w/1987 150HP Yamaha on a Shoreland'r Trailer
1978 16.5 Airslot w/1996 120HP Force on a Four Winns trailer
1996 V21 w/1993 200HP Mercury on a Shoreline Trailer
All towed by a 5.7L Hemi Durango.
If God didn't have a purpose for us we wouldn't be here, so
Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly.
(Leave the rest to God)
Silence, in the face of evil, is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak, not to act is to act. God will not hold us guiltless.