stupid in america

**guppy** · 16 Apr 06, 05:53

this was on 20/20 a while back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfRUM...20in%20america

discuss various failures of our public education system.

**THL** · 16 Apr 06, 14:22

Every childs failure cannot be blamed on schools. The mother in that clip that said that her 18 year old son could not read...where was she 1 year ago or two years ago or 10 years ago when kids are learning to read. Why could she not have taken some time and tried to teach her kids things as well?

I have been teaching my 3 year old addition. She has learned how to use her hands to add 1 through 9 now. She is also learning to memorize short words ('the', 'and', 'or', etc) in english and I am teaching her the basics of spanish as well as sign language. If I knew another language, I would be teaching that to her as well instead of waiting for someone else to do it. This requires no time whatsoever. While we are driving in the car, I will ask her to tell me how to say different things in spanish that we drive by or colors of things or to add up how many trees are on the side of the road at a stop light.

We hire people to teach our children, but ultimately, they are OUR children and it is OUR responsibility to make sure that they learn skills needed to go out into the world. Like reading.

**JBodnar39** · 16 Apr 06, 14:31

We hire people to teach our children, but ultimately, they are OUR children and it is OUR responsibility to make sure that they learn skills needed to go out into the world. Like reading.[/QUOTE]

You are so very right. There are certainly some public schools were teachers may not be up to snuff and the environment is disrupted to one degree or another by unruly students, however I believe that most of the Public schools (I'm not talking about in Philadlephia or Manhatten but in suburband and rural American were most Americans live) are adequate if the parents take a role in their children's education. It is beyond me that a parent would not take some action on their own accord if their child could not read i when he or she was in elementary school, much less high school - that is a parent that is either too engrossed in otehr affairs or jsut don't care.

**ChrisF202** · 16 Apr 06, 18:50

Why are you teaching your kid Spanish? No offense but this now makes you part of the problem.

I learned Spanish in school only because I was forced to if I wanted to graduate (in order to get a HS graduate diploma in NY you must have taken 4 years of Spanish).

**Confed999** · 16 Apr 06, 19:05

Originally Posted by ChrisF202

this now makes you part of the problem.

There's nothing wrong with knowing other languages, in fact it's a good thing.

**Shek** · 16 Apr 06, 19:10

Originally Posted by ChrisF202

Why are you teaching your kid Spanish? No offense but this now makes you part of the problem.

I learned Spanish in school only because I was forced to if I wanted to graduate (in order to get a HS graduate diploma in NY you must have taken 4 years of Spanish).

WTF? Learning languages and other cultures is great for one's education. The problem is when kids are not assimilated, i.e., English is deliberately not taught. Spanish as a language is not the problem.

**TopHatter** · 16 Apr 06, 19:16

Originally Posted by ChrisF202

Why are you teaching your kid Spanish? No offense but this now makes you part of the problem.

*pulling up a chair* This ought to be good...

**dalem** · 16 Apr 06, 19:16

My father taught me to read when I was 4. When I had problems with math in grade school he made sure I dug in and whipped it. And he was a very busy man. I love blaming schools, but I love blaming parents even more.

Good parenting should at the worst offset a "bad" school.

-dale

**THL** · 16 Apr 06, 19:47

Originally Posted by ChrisF202

Why are you teaching your kid Spanish? No offense but this now makes you part of the problem.

I learned Spanish in school only because I was forced to if I wanted to graduate (in order to get a HS graduate diploma in NY you must have taken 4 years of Spanish).

You a$$...my mother is German and Irish and my father is Mexican - AM I STILL PART OF THE PROBLEM OR AM I NOW A BIGGER PART? If I thought it would eliminate racist fu€kups like you, I'd take responsibility for the WHOLE problem. My daughter will know as much about her Mexican culture as I can possible find the time to teach her. As for that being a problem, my grandfather came here, fought in our WWII and eventually died from injuries he got as a POW. Ya know what else? He did it all without speaking a word of fu€king English so s€rew you. How much of a problem is that for you? How much of a problem is it that a non-English speaking Mexican helped to fight for the freedoms that you enjoy? Go ahead and tell me again it is a problem.

That man loved this country and taught his kids to love this country as much as he loved his own. As do many of the people that are here now from other countries. You might know a little more about them and how they feel if you took one g0ddam second to find out.

Spanish is as much a part of my culture as English is and why would I, or anyone else, not want my child to learn as much as possible? Who cares what it is...learning ANYTHING can only be an advantage in life later. I can hang drywall, too since my stepfather made sure I learned to use my hands, just because I don't do it everyday or use it for my job, does that make it a useless skill to have.

**TopHatter** · 16 Apr 06, 19:50

Is it me or did somebody just get totally biitchslapped?

**Shek** · 16 Apr 06, 20:09

Originally Posted by TopHatter

Is it me or did somebody just get totally biitchslapped?

You may be partial, but that is the first that I've seen THL come off the top rope on somebody

**Officer of Engineers** · 16 Apr 06, 20:19

Whoooaoaoaoa, I was expecting Power Rangers and got Professional Wrestling instead.

**tankervet** · 16 Apr 06, 20:42

Chris I would be interested to know how that makes THL part of the problem? And what problem are you talking about? The substandard education system? The parents not taking responsibility? Or are you talking about something else like immigration?

Also I learned Arabic before my last two deployments (forgot it now though). Does that make me part of the problem as well?

**Shek** · 16 Apr 06, 20:57

I must be part of the problem since I learned French in grade school and high school

French did teach me a few things, one of them being that Parisians are pricks! I still got snooty responses even though I was speaking the mother tongue. However, the Normans were great, and so not all French can be lumped into the Parisian basket of pricks.

However, my French did help me learn Italian to a decent level quickly, which made my three years being stationed in Italy fun. Certainly much better than my German, which consisted of "Ein bier, bitte" and "Danke."

Luckily, most Germans speak English pretty well.

**Shek** · 16 Apr 06, 20:59

Originally Posted by tankervet

Chris I would be interested to know how that makes THL part of the problem? And what problem are you talking about? The substandard education system? The parents not taking responsibility? Or are you talking about something else like immigration?

Also I learned Arabic before my last two deployments (forgot it now though). Does that make me part of the problem as well?

I see that WAB is sinking its hooks into you

I too started out commenting only in the military section, and now I'm one of the jack of all trades (but master of none!).

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