Real Reasons

Americans have been complaining about american public schools since...well, since I was in school, over forty years ago. Back then the charge against the young people was ignorance and apathy; we didn't know anything, and we didn't care about anything, except our own pleasure and happiness. 

Well, to a certain point, that was true, and still is. But it turns out that those in the baby boomer generation who protested the Viet Nam war and showed their disdain for the status quo society by refusing to conform to it; well, they were right. We know that now, in restrospect. 

Forty years later, the complaints about the young continue apace, most coming from those of us who were once the subject of such complaints.  Sweet revenge...

Whats refreshing about author and educator Tx Trumbo in his book "Who's the Teacher Now?", is that he doesn't try to lay all of society's  problems at the feet of the under eighteen crowd and their teachers inside the cloistered confines of america's public schools, as does everyone else.

Instead, he puts the blame squarely where it belongs; on mainstream american society. We don't need better teachers, and more standardized testing, and more accountability and oversight, what we need, says Trumbo, is a better, more child friendly culture, in which to nurture and raise healthy, well educated children. 

"We rank higher in education that we do in most economic indicators, worldwide. So, why all the hubbab about failing schools, bad teachers, and irresponsible parenting?

Well, because it is so much easier finding scapegoats than admitting our society is failing us a a whole. Our citizens have longer working hours, shorter vacations, and fewer benefits than most of the industrialized world; this negatively affects family structure, cohesion, and relations within the larger society.

Does this system value children?"

Trumbo asserts that an economic system, such as that in america, which rewards lavishly the few while exploiting the many cannot possibly value children, because children are the recipients of this widespread poverty and inequality. Something to think about...

Please scroll down for the other articles in today's issue of "the Truthless Reconciler". Thanks!