Sunday, September 23, 2007
As hands-on, responsible parents (sad to know that there are otherwise), Shemane and I are compelled to meet with our children's teachers on a regular basis.
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It's essential to maintain consistent communication with those to whom our children's care and guidance are entrusted.
We do it to monitor the progress and direction of what ultimately will determine much of their wonderful American Dream.
After all, a child literally is in the hands of teachers and administrators during a pivotal time. This we all know.
What we discovered on one such meeting at a Michigan grade school was rather eye-opening, to say the least.
Sitting down with a fifth-grade teacher, we examined some schoolwork and homework papers where the written work was done in all-capital block letters. Simple words like "window," "chair" and "book" were capitalized. We asked, why?
With a distant stare and a weird Mr. Rogers-TV demeanor, the kind teacher feebly attempted to explain. It was no big deal, she said. It was easier for the children to write in block letters.
He opined that cursive writing "wasn't used that much anymore." Say huh?
The scary part came when we scrutinized our son's papers that had already been turned in and corrected, but somehow still contained numerous misspellings.
Could a professional teacher actually have missed such mistakes? We asked. We were shocked to hear that such misspellings "were close enough and didn't matter that much right now."
Were we being punked?
Was this "no child left behind" or children left uneducated by an education system that simply didn't care anymore?
We probed deeper and did not like what we discovered.
As record amounts of tax dollars are shoveled into America's education system, our children's academic achievements are falling further and further behind most of the industrialized world.
Statistics long ago proved the sad state of affairs in which an embarrassing percentage of high school graduates could not read, write, speak or balance a check book.
Only the guilty need feel guilty if we are not moving rapidly toward changing that. There is still an army of gung ho dedicated teachers out there who put hearts and souls into educating America's children. For that we thank and salute them all.
That a child exists in America who hasn't the faintest idea about the Holocaust or what the Trail of Tears was — it's tragic.
For God's sake, there are many young Texans who don't know about the Alamo.
As the proverb goes, those ignorant of the mistakes of history will surely repeat them. Lovely.
We have seen the good, the bad and the ugly in the American education system. The real problem, as usual, its the entrenched apathy by educators who know better, and out of politically correct cowardice refuse to blow whistles, scold anyone or demand upgrade from their peers.
As we attend various school activities and teacher meetings, we are happy to see many genuine, caring parents who remain involved in the quality control of their children.
Thank God for them.
But equally and painfully apparent are the missing-in-action parents, if you can even call them parents.
An experiment in self-government requires certain "we the people" participation.
I can think of no more compelling call to such activism than the involvement of parents working hand in hand with teachers.
A team effort can spell success, glory and happiness for our children. By monitoring and communicating, we can all help identify needed improvements and upgrades — not just for our kids' betterment but for a smarter, better-educated, more productive America.
Isn't it worth it?
Ted Nugent is a Waco-based musician and television show host.
