In his speech yesterday, President Obama said we need more "investment" in education. After all, he said, "South Korean children are outpacing our kids in math and science". What he didn't tell you is that they pay half as much per pupil.
Only Sweden pays more per pupil than we do. If money were the solution we wouldn't be at the bottom of all developed countries in test scores! HELLO!
Over the past 15 years we've increased education spending by 60% ABOVE the rate of inflation. Think about that. Adjusted for inflation, we're spending 60% more than we were 15 years ago. If money were the solution a rational person has to conclude that test scores should have gone up dramatically.
The problem has much more to do with no one holding our kids responsible to learn! Not the education system. Not teachers. Most sadly, not parents. And that latter one is probably our biggest impediment to getting our kids test scores up where they should be near the top of all nations.
Someone needs to tell our kids who's in charge. For that matter, someone needs to tell PARENTS(!) they're in charge and responsible(!) and it's well past time they started behaving that way. That means: checking how their kids are doing in every class every day, looking over kids' work after it's graded, helping their kids with their homework in a disciplined way (ie, every day if necessary and NOT by doing it FOR them!), talking with teachers how the kids are doing, applying REAL DISCIPLINE to kids who's grades are "C" or lower. On that last one, real discipline is grounding, forced study time at home under parental supervision, taking away privileges. Yes, TV, computers, cell phones, and driving a car are PRIVILEGES. Think about it. Are ANY of those things more important than a decent education?
Loving your kids ought to include ensuring they get a good K-12 education, good nutrition, adequate sleep, and good exercise. Love them enough to ensure they get off to a good start in life. Or don't you care whether they do? It's YOUR responsibility, not the schools'! An involved parent can make up for a LOT of short-comings by schools. If you're not doing your part you have no business blaming others. And if you have no interest in ensuring your kids get these things, maybe parenting isn't for you.
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