I read a wonderful article in our local paper about the movement in education that basically tells all kids they are special.  You can read it here.

Kids aren’t dumb…if the teacher tells every single other kid that they are special, then they realize that everyone is the same and that no one is special (A wonderful and true line from The Incredibles, an awesome cartoon). 

For those that do believe it, teaching this inflates the egos of the children and give them a false sense of reality, thereby handicapping them in life.  Children are ALREADY egocentric…ask any parent.  Do we really need to add fuel to the fire??

Us parents should be their biggest champions and also the people to help keep them grounded.  Our society, in itself, is very materialistic and self-centered.  As parents, it is our job to raise the next generation with the knowledge that IF they work hard, IF they have integrity, and IF they persevere through tough times, then they will succeed.

Life doesn’t just throw it’s bounty at your feet because you are special…you have to work to get it.

In school I remember how us kids got seperated into groups/classes based on our skill levels.  Some children just excel at different areas…it’s a fact of life.   I have heard that schools are going more towards keeping the students together regardless of the level.  So, the more advanced kids are bored, the slower learners are lost and the average students are the status quo.  No wonder we are losing ground to other countries.

How many of those “ADD” kids are just bored to death??  Part of the problem is, of course, funding for schools, they don’t have enough teachers or space for their students.

Another tirade rant….why can’t schools function the same as the rest of society??  The teachers that are GOOD should be paid well.  The teachers that suck should be fired.  I know I had several tenured teachers that were awful and didn’t even try to teach.  They used the same lesson plan they had 20 years ago and their papers were completely faded yellow from age.  They should have been fired YEARS ago, but weren’t because of tenure.  They got paid better than the younger teachers that did a far, far better job, all because they were tenured.

Then they wonder why they don’t get more school funding.  It is because those of us that have been through the school system see how dysfunctional it is and are lax to give it more money.  We vote for our school referendums, being that we want our kids to have decent schools when they start attending, but we do it painfully.

If I didn’t have to work, somedays I think that homeschooling would be a great option.  Alas we need to eat and actually have a house in order to homeschool…thus they will be in the education system.  Hopefully, we will do a good job to countering the brain washing they receive at school.

**As an aside, we do have friends that are teachers, and since they are friends with us, we are certain they have common sense.  Fight the good fight, our children are depending on you!