Education is the only profession that is required to bear the blame for the failures of others.
In all of life's endeavors, especially in a free society, a man assumes responsibility for himself, a man charts his own course, sets his own goals, and pursues his own dreams.
Part of his preparation for the above is through his education. In the early days of the public education system, children were required to master large batteries of essential information. It has been observed that an eighth grade student in early America had acquired far more information than does a college graduate today.
Much was expected--no, demanded--of the student of yesteryear. His
teachers required superior effort from him; his parents demanded
excellence from him. The student settled for nothing less than his best
from himself.
And AMERICA was at the top of the list of academic achievers with other nations trailing far behind.
Today, parents who are too busy pursuing their own goals to carefully oversee their children's investment in their own education expect the schools and their representatives--principals and teachers--to assure that their children attain adequate scores to afford them opportunities to enter the colleges and universities of their choice.
Today's parents expect that miracle to be wrought upon youngsters who arrive at school without their parents' insistence that they strive for superior academic results; and more tragically, that they arrive at school without even a respect for and willingness to cooperate with those who are charged with their instruction.
Until parental attitudes change, until they require their best from their children again, AMERICAN schools will continue their decline.
AMERICA, the once great bastion of freedom and education and opportunity will be relegated to the ash heap of history--one more once-great culture--like so many before her, that destroyed itself from within through its self-indulgence and its expectation that 'someone else' will assume responsibility for its well-being.
And AMERICA was at the top of the list of academic achievers with other nations trailing far behind.
Today, parents who are too busy pursuing their own goals to carefully oversee their children's investment in their own education expect the schools and their representatives--principals and teachers--to assure that their children attain adequate scores to afford them opportunities to enter the colleges and universities of their choice.
Today's parents expect that miracle to be wrought upon youngsters who arrive at school without their parents' insistence that they strive for superior academic results; and more tragically, that they arrive at school without even a respect for and willingness to cooperate with those who are charged with their instruction.
Until parental attitudes change, until they require their best from their children again, AMERICAN schools will continue their decline.
AMERICA, the once great bastion of freedom and education and opportunity will be relegated to the ash heap of history--one more once-great culture--like so many before her, that destroyed itself from within through its self-indulgence and its expectation that 'someone else' will assume responsibility for its well-being.
Tony Flowers
No comments:
Post a Comment