The Patriot Post® · Education Is the Foundation of the Future

I have volumes of books, studies, opinions, comments and discussions on the condition of our School systems. The majority were written by people within the system or at some level of Government. Half of these bemoan the fact that we’re not sufficiently financing any and all levels of our education system. The rest run the gamut of usual excuses. Unfortunately the system itself and the Government are the problems and we fail to hold either responsible.

Let’s discuss levels of compensation. Rank and file members of the House and Senate are paid $174,000 per year.

The vast majority of the money we’ve poured in Education in the last twenty years never reached the classroom. We established a Federal Board of Education, State Boards of Education, County Boards of Education and District Boards of Education. The heads and members of most of these earn significantly higher salaries than our Elected Federal Officials. Does that make any sense to you?

You must discuss each level of education as a separate element. Before I get started I can only discuss my extensive experiences and the experiences of my children and grandchildren. I’m sure there are still some quality schools in the country. I just haven’t been exposed to many of them.

College Professors, regardless of their records are regularly paid at levels comparable with heads of major corporations who actually have to earn their salaries. Try to find the drop out rates at each grade level of most colleges and see how far you get. Find out how many Professors actually teach a class on a regular basis.

We’ve been brainwashed into thinking that sending your High School graduates to college is a parent’s responsibility – that’s ridiculous. Did you know that many colleges have to provide remedial English and Math to large numbers of incoming freshmen?

If your graduate has done well enough in high school and desires to pursue a professional career they must go to college and you should help them in every way you can. If however, they have no idea of what they want to do, I suggest you explore other career possibilities together rather than throw money away on a whim. There are a number of trade and specialized schools where they can find alternative career options.

Every parent’s worst nightmare

You’ve raised a moral and responsible individual and entrusted them to an educational institution. Unfortunately, like most colleges today there are few, if any, moral checks and balances. This, during a time in their life when they’re most susceptible to peer pressure and you get an irresponsible, smart mouthed, progressive libertine in return. Nightmares don’t get any worse than that.

Our elementary schools are a mess. There is little or no discipline and we’ve allowed Unions and theorists to experiment with our children. They prize self-esteem over education and replace proven educational policies with feel good theories. They pass kids whether or not they’ve successfully completed the courses lest they damage their self-esteem. Some Principles have taken the idea of zero tolerance to a religion and charge tots with sex crimes during a game of tag. They remove all mention of religion except the Muslim religion from the classroom. Teachers are caught changing grades to exaggerate their record of accomplishment. The word flunk has been taken from their vocabulary and forcing a child to repeat a grade today would be compared to capital punishment.

The printers of text books have re-written the history of this country and the world. They’d cut out their tongues before they mentioned American Exceptionalism.

The only difference between Elementary and High Schools is the ages of the attendees, the level of violence and the percentage of dropouts.

The American Education, long prized as the finest in the world is now ranked well down the scale.

The answers – decertify the Unions, eliminate the Federal Board of Education, Maintain the State Board, eliminate the County Board and maintain the Local School District.

Demand discipline in the classroom and eliminate feel good subjects. Stop passing along your failures to the next grade. Suggest the parents employ a tutor and at least make the child attend summer school and pass the tests or repeat the grade.

And I’m not alone. I’ve listed some books you may find interesting:

The College Illusion by David Kupelian

The College Scam by John Stossel

The Dangers of “Higher Education” by Thomas Sowell

Sex in the Classroom by Ben Shapiro

Colleges as boot camps for Gay Activists by Bob Unruh