"katy" wrote in message
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Scout wrote:
"Bob Crantz" wrote in message
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http://www.thedenverchannel.com/nati...56/detail.html


I feel such ambivalence about the report you've linked. My second career
in education has left me feeling that the education system is run by
incompetent boobs who are trying to placate an ignorant public (a vicious
cycle?) while pandering to self-serving politicos. I've worked with some
of the black males cited in the article. If there is a school-related
answer to their problem I'd sure like to hear it. Particularly, I'd like
to know why our society seems to ignore the fact that good family
structure and support (i.e., the lack of) is at the root of our
educational woes. I often feel the education system is in many ways an
effigy, a whipping boy of society, manipulated and modified so we can all
vent our rage at the bigger problem without offending anyone directly.
Fix the bigger problems and education will work the way it has forever.
Transfer information, pass the torch, and encourage the next group to
carry it further.
This group is a great example of how people learn when they choose to
learn. I believe cyber-schools could work for the right type of student.
It's a simple process when the student puts a bit of effort into it.
There is nothing fancy here, just opinions and information sharing. Why
does it work here and in so many of our schools nothing seems to work at
all? Try getting some of these victims of the education system to do some
homework. Try getting them to take a book home. Why did you do your
homework in high school? I wanted to please my parents and had a healthy
respect for them as well. They took care of me and punished me
appropriately when I acted in ways that were educationally unproductive.
So standardized testing shows that black males are behind. Did we need to
spend a billion dollars to figure that one out? Did we need to turn the
education system into a bigger mockery where curricula are now geared
toward getting the right answers on those tests? I was taught by nuns and
priests who beat the **** out of me when I got out of line. Guess what,
that's all it took. Parents knocking me back in line at home, teachers
knocking me back in line at school. Simple, simple, simple. But no, let's
spend billions more on the education piñata.
And by the way, let's blame the education system for the aftermath of
slavery. Let's not admit that we can't point the finger at the lack of
family structure without noting that it's only in recent history that the
failing portion of our population lacks the thing that this country took
from them, history, family, tradition, and values that tend to evolve
slowly, over many generations.
Scout
Bravo! Can Mr. Sails come and work in your school?

Katy,
I emailed you (if this address works). Let me know if it doesn't and I'll
send to another address.