Posted on 11/18/2019 3:16:11 PM PST by BruceDeitrickPrice
Someone asked this question on Quora:Is there a flaw to the American school system? Why do so many teens have depression? Why don’t people do anything about it?
My answer: Okay, let’s suppose you’re a ninth-grade student in the school system. What are some reasons you might feel anxious and depressed?
First, you sense from the early grades nothing very serious is going on in your school. People never really learn to read. They don’t know any geography, any history, any science. Many students can hardly add and subtract. People sometimes think that taking it easy is a good idea. Yes, maybe for a week or two. But if you feel that your whole school year is a waste of time, you’re not going to be happy.
Second, the school is unnecessarily violent and chaotic. Kids hurt each other, they hurt teachers, they do what they want, at least some of them do. You know you’re in danger. You know you have to be careful not to offend students who are known to be dangerous.
Third, the teachers and administrators tell you continuously that there are many genders. You’re encouraged to wonder which one you are. This is very unsettling. They won’t let you be one thing or another.
Fourth, school officials warn you constantly, the world is coming to an end some way or another. Everybody will be dead in a decade or two. It’s scary to be reminded of this every day.
Fifth, random drills, with violent cops and guns, can interrupt school life at any time. You never feel really safe. You’re stressed out all the time. What’s the point of living like this? Maybe you should just end it, that’s what some friends say.
Sixth, almost everybody cheats, on their homework, on their tests, on their essays. Some people say that’s why we’re in school, to learn how to cheat. That’s what you need to get ahead in a bad world.
Seventh, everything is apparently a lie. Everything taught in the school says that things taught somewhere else are lies. Fake news is everywhere. What can you believe?
Eighth, nobody is sure what their grandparents believed but you are sure they were wrong. Their ideas are all silly, about religion, patriotism, honesty is the best policy, be all you can be. Unfortunately you didn’t find out the ideas that aren’t silly. Life feels very empty. Of course you’re depressed.
CODA: as for doing something about this, maybe some politicians want to exploit this sadness and depression. The kids are so lost and adrift, they can be persuaded to believe anything.
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Bruce Deitrick Price’s most recent book is Saving K-12.
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Liberal administrators so caught up in social changing rather than teaching the basics.
Social Media, these kids bully each other unmercifully, when I grew up we NEVER treated each other this way NEVER!!!
Or is that a no-brainer?
Abolish government schools.
A) Lazy & selfish parents
B) Eating to much sugar/carbs
C) Not enough sleep (see A)
I agree. When I was in school there were a couple bullies in the whole school. Now it is far more common, there are packs of bullies.
Their minds are totally preoccupied with wants that most cannot have.
The world is going to end in less than twelve years! Now, if the teacher who your parents told you to respect in school keeps telling you this malarkey day out and day in, who wouldn’t get depressed?
No God no joy
While I do not dispute much of what this article contains, and I know people don’t want to hear this; nonetheless, we as a society are increasingly turning our back on our Creator. I’ll bet if you superimposed two trendlines, one that showed the downward trend of America’s religiosity, with the upward trend of broken homes, violence, and mental turmoil, you would see almost exact opposite trend lines.
For example, the dissolution of the nuclear Black family has clearly brought about an equal and opposite response of violence and other social maladies. The nuclear White family is following almost the exact same path, albeit a few decades behind our Black counterparts.
In summary, a decline in personal spirituality leads to a direct increase in a deformed society.
Nope. They are all special. If a kid doesn’t want to take a test, he blames his Anxiety. If he doesn’t turn in a paper, it’s not his fault. It’s his stupid broken brain’s fault. Any attempt to make a student liable for his behavior is met with a firestorm of “I guess you don’t believe in mental illness”. Probably 10+% of the kids talk openly about committing suicide because their life is meaningless. You can’t take action on their behalf because they were just “venting”.
Maybe depression is over diagnosed like ADD ADHD is.
Because teachers.
Proggie, new-age, Godless, non-disciplining, confusing, morality-free, PC, union-driven, child-abusing teachers.
Teachers giving blue ribbons for showing up, pushing homosexuality and abortion, teaching methods they themselves do not understand, preaching the end of the world, speaking against common sense.
In its manifestation in the public schools, liberalism is psychological abuse.
A few will consciously or unconsciously see through the haze. They will make it, so will the sociopaths in their own way, who will come to lead 'we' religion. They form the evil of the 'all liberals are either evil or ignorant.'
The depressed kids will become the ignorant, and those who see through the haze will be the sliver of humanity that has managed to preserve freedom, only because that sliver will die (and have) before they'll let go it it -> they equate freedom to life.
A 6th grader met Jesus and asked “Why do we have so much violence and depression in our schools”?
Jesus said “Because they have taken me out of your schools”.
Everyone is depressed, mental illness keeps skyrocketing despite more and more medications being sold to the public. Maybe we need to take a hard look in the mirror and realize our society is fundamentally broken and makes people mentally ill.
Teenagers are just among the most vulnerable elements of society.
I had problems with depression growing up.
And I was happy growing up.
Could it just be that this society that wants to wrap people (especially children) in bubble wrap to protect them from any discomfort or harm is mistaking a natural process of growing up with a serious pathology?
Perhaps, instead of jumping in with both feet to “fix” a problem with everything from drugs to gender reassignment surgery wouldn’t it be wiser to allow kids the space to work some things out on their own and develop their own coping skills?
I cannot imagine what it is like to be a kid today. Just can’t imagine it.
And tomorrow, most all schools in my state are closing so the teachers can protest in Indy
Always left out of the negotiations for teacher pay, is WHY non-teaching positions in schools are growing at 5 times the rate of growth for student enrollment
And you have to get up at 6:30 AM, earlier if you ride the bus, because classes start at 7:30 AM. No one gets enough sleep. Our educational system is child abuse in so many ways that it’s surprising that we have so few school shootings.
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