Spout a falsehood loud enough, and often enough, and not only do people start to believe it, but they start spreading it around in a similar fashion.
Shutting your eyes, or burying your head in the sand to avoid being politically incorrect, will absolutely not get anyone even close to finding a real solution to the problem!
What is the problem? Too many American kids in our present culture are not up to snuff in today’s classrooms. They are too used to having fun and being entertained. They are TV and video game junkies that do not have the patience or fortitude to do what it takes to succeed in our classrooms. We should be addressing this as the real problem as to why our American students have fallen behind, and will continue to do so as compared to other countries where paying attention in class and working hard at schoolwork is not only a top priority, but a necessity.
The fact of the matter is that teachers become frustrated, even exasperated, with the apathy of their students and their unwillingness to perform their part of the education equation.
Teachers come into the profession full of knowledge, training and motivation. When they see the gross lack of cooperation by their students and the students’ parents, as well as the education hierarchy, they become disenchanted. They are the bearers of blame for the inadequacies of parents and the society at large to see that children come to school ready and willing to learn so that not only is teaching taking place, but so is learning.
Dave Shlakman
Howard Beach, NY 11414
