One of Few Forwarded E-mails I Ever Liked

This e-mail was forwarded to me from a friend.  I’ll add my own comments in italics.

HIGH SCHOOL — 1957 vs. 2009

Scenario 1: Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck’s gun rack.

1957 – Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack’s shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.

2009 – School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Don’t know if bringing a shotgun to school in the 50′s would’ve been ok, but school definitely would go into lock down and the kid would be expelled.  My first year, a kid got in big trouble for receiving a birthday present that contained an (obviously) toy gun in a cops ‘n robbers set.

Scenario 2: Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.

1957 – Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.

2009- Police called and SWAT team arrives — they arrest both Johnny and Mark. They are both charged them with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Back in the day, my high school used to set up supervised boxing matches between kids who didn’t get along.  Now, they probably wouldn’t get expelled, but definitely suspended, no matter who started it.

Scenario 3: Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.

1957 – Jeffrey sent to the Principal’s office and given a good paddling by the Principal. He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.

2009 – Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD. The school gets extra money from the state because Jeffrey has a disability.

While I believe that some students have ADD, it’s curious that 75% seem to have it now.  Also, we are told to keep new material in short bursts, because their poor little minds with their 30 second attention span can’t handle too much.

Scenario 4: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor’s car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.

1957 – Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman.

2009 – Billy’s dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. The state psychologist is told by Billy’s sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy’s mom has an affair with the psychologist.

A little hyperbolic but I could see some outrage over a kid getting whipped by a belt.

Scenario 5: Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.

1957 – Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal out on the smoking dock.

2009 – The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations. His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.

No joke, students are not allowed to have any medication in school.  The nurse cannot give aspirin or tylenol.  They would get their lockers searched as well as their bags.

Scenario 6: Pedro fails high school English.

1957 – Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes to college.

2009 – Pedro’s cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against the state school system and Pedro’s English teacher. English is then banned from core curriculum. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Again hyperbolic, but more likely the kid is placed in ESL, pushed through English class as well as all other classes because the principal and counselors are pressured to have high graduation rates.  The kid would get straight D’s, get a diploma, and that’s seen as a success.

Scenario 7: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant bed.

1957 – Ants die.

2009 – ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called. Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. The FBI investigates his parents — and all siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated. Johnny’s dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this has actually happened.

Scenario 8: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.

1957 – In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.

2009 – Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

They forgot the part about the parents suing the school for negligence, winning $4 million, and forcing the school to get rid of recess because it’s a liability.  This part is, again, sadly true.  It’s amazing what children are not allowed to do because schools fear law suits.

Jack Cafferty Writes What I Think

Cnn.com has a book excerpt from Jack Cafferty’s new book Now or Never.  It seems that I’m not the only one who feels this way about the youth of the nation.

“I don’t know the status of parenting in America. But I know a little about the status of education in America. Parents’ growing inability to impose manners and limits on their kids when the kids are in school is reflected in record dropout rates, as well as teen drug and alcohol abuse, teen sex, and unwed pregnancies. Maybe it’s parenting that’s on the decline, more than the schools.”

I know I’ve written this over and over again, but when parents refuse to discipline their children, how are teachers supposed to do this?  If a student gets in trouble, goes home to the parent to complain, and the parent invariably blames the teacher, what am I supposed to do?  This part also hit home:

“I remember as a kid I was expected to behave myself out in public or suffer the wrath of one very angry father. And of all the things that used to piss him off, those expectations didn’t seem unreasonable.”

My dad was the same way.  If I acted up, I’d get in trouble.  Now, instead of punishing children, parents shove a video game in their kid’s face to distract them.  It’s easier than yelling, right?

I don’t care to recount how many parents tell me they don’t know what to do.  How many tell me they can’t get their kid to do homework because that kid is too busy texting, watching TV or playing on the computer.  How many ask me what to do.  Am I a parent?  Sorry, but my answer is to end that cherished friendship with your son or daughter and take away their cell phone, their computer, their car.  If you really worry about what your child is doing, take control, don’t sit and whine about it.  Because, really, that’s what your children have learned to do.  If they don’t get their way, they sit and whine and say they deserve good grades because that’s what you told them.

Up above, the quote, “maybe it’s parenting that’s on the decline, more than the schools,” definitely rings true to me.  Of course you could say I’m biased, but I really think schools are better than they used to be.  Teachers are better trained and better prepared for class.  We have computers that can demonstrate what we cannot write on the board.  We can reach our students almost any time to help.  So much has advanced, yet our schools are doing worse?  I think, right now, we have better teachers with students that have 30 second attention spans.  I can repeat something 9 times, and five minutes later it’s as if I never opened my mouth.  I’m sorry, but that doesn’t mean teachers are bad.