Americans orchestrating own doom

Scripps Howard News Service ^ | 10/22/6 | DALE MCFEATTERS

[GOPJ]

"Even the least confident students in Singapore outscored the most confident Americans."

So much for teaching self-esteem...

[EGPWS]

So much for teaching self-esteem...

Teach them something useful and self-esteem will come on it's own.

[Wings-n-Wind]

PING = Later

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.

[verity]

"We're doing it to ourselves."

As the great swamp philosopher, Pogo, once said: "We have found the enemy and they are us."

[Uncle Meat]

I guess the days of kids playing Smear the Queer are over,replaced by the more acceptable"Kiss the Queer".

[Caipirabob]

The state of the public education system is dismal. We are in one of the A School districts and we are struggling to get our children the best education. Private school in Boca is an option, but one we are planning for when they are older. Still, we are spending 16-20 hours a week minimal for homework and additional tutoring, even today, Sunday, to get our kids on the ball for the level they need to be at. The teachers are barely capable, and are probably more adequate as day care specialists. They aren't teaching our children much of anything, and the burden falls to us to make certain the children learning what they need to.

We accept that. Our children are doing very well scholastically, I'm just pointing out that it is only because we put so much effort into what takes place outside of school. It sure as heck isn't because of the school.

What irritates me is when I compare the quality of education I received compared to what my children get. My parents never had to worry or work so hard as far as my school work. They were wonderful and supportive, but I don't recall them needing to spend 16-20 hours a week on my back asking "Do you understand?". Now we are seeing stuff that many people would assume are easily taught being entirely ommitted, and children being left with complex homework and no method to discern how to do it. Good review for us, but extremely troubling that the children don't get at least the basics at school. We are banding together with several parents in the same class and comparing notes on the teacher (who is highly rated!), the homework and general comprehension of the children. We are coping, but it's really concerning.

Thank God for our tutor, who is as devoted and wonderful as we could hope for. My son's getting highest marks because of her and his mother. I help too, but can't compare my effort to theirs.

When the kids get older, we'll consider the alternatives for education. Right now we can handle it. Later the $1,600 a month minimum (2 kids) for private school may be the option we take unless we can get involved with a good home schooling group. We'll see. For now, we want to focus on getting all the basic down.

[omega4179]

Demo man is one of the scariest movies because it is slowly coming true.

[ReleaseTheHounds]

Indeed, the descendants of the flinty New Englanders who chased the British redcoats from Lexington Green and Concord Bridge back to Boston are prohibited from playing all unsupervised "chasing games."

Just as bad, those flinty New Englanders are about to re-elect a lying, murdering, woman-abusing, pile of cr*p to the U.S. Senate. Maybe America is lost.

[fso301]

Is it really even possible for a "faggot" to be "pussy whipped"?

A beard and no teeth.

[Berosus]

For a culture dominated by those who claim to believe in evolution, we're doing a pretty good job of eliminating the natural selection factor. First we get rid of the dangerous toys (pocket knives, BB guns, lawn darts, etc.) that used to remove stupid kids from the gene pool, then we get rid of rough sports. I suppose next some liberal in a position of power will point to a jail cell and say, "If you get in there, it will be much easier to protect you."

[Doctor Stochastic]

When was the last time you had occasion in daily life to use that basic first step in introductory algebra? The more math you learn, the more remote it is from real life.

Unless you are saving for retiremtne, buying a house, buying a car, laying out a landscape, putting up shelves, connecting water pipes, etc.

[PGalt]

Outstanding BTTT!

[GOPJ]

Teach them something useful and self-esteem will come on it's own.

You're right - high self esteem will come in time - as it should. High self esteem before it's earned can be a negative. The kids with the highest self-esteem in high schools are gang members ...

[Uncle Vlad]

As I read this, I'm getting ready to go out and help run a hockey practice for nine and 10-year-olds. In our game, if a kid gets knocked down or falls down, we tell them, "Get up!" I fear for the future until I see these kids and their parents on cold winter mornings.

Nothing like a sheet of ice to teach a kid to stand on his own two feet. :)

[Beagle8U]

"George Thurgood & The Destroyers ."

No, Its George Thurgood & The Delaware Destroyers.

[Stonewall Jackson]

You mean you'll go around eating rat burgers? /sarc.

[Quix]

THANKS.

Sadly, INDEED . . . Exceedingly too, too true.

[Earthdweller]

"High self esteem before it's earned can be a negative. The kids with the highest self-esteem in high schools are gang members ..."

At my HS the most popular kids (Sports jocks, cheerleaders and yes very conceited) became gas station attendants and fat drunks. The one guy that no one noticed became our state rep.

Revenge of the nerds?

[topsail]

Maybe it's time to read, again, The Wild and Free Pigs of The Okefenokee Swamp