School And College

It is a shame what our school has become. When I was young I

never had a fear of school. I was never afraid of my classmates and to be

honest, I loved school. I know things were different when I was in

elementary but can things change that much over six years? I see kids in the

elementary fight all the time with other students and I see first graders

uptown smoking. I am honestly amazed. How can a school system

deteriorate so fast? Is it the caliber of the students that we have? It seems

that children today have a broader knowledge of things than I did back then.

Some third graders know more words of profanity than I did as a freshman.

First graders getting suspended! This is outrageous. Is not school supposed

to be a place where the kids feel safe to learn and play.

hat can be done? Stricter rules, new faculty, new administration? Is

that the real problem? I think not. The rules are basically the same, there

are good teachers here and the administration is the same. I think the

problem begins with the teachers. If the teacher feels secure in his/her job

and know the administration will back their action, then he/she will be

more likely to enforce the rules. It seems that the problem children get

away with a lot. Is it the teacher does not want to go through the trouble of

filling out paperwork, or could it be that they are tired of fighting with

angry parents and not getting support from their supervisors. This, in turn,

hurts the children who want to try and learn. The teacher is too busy

disciplining the problem and it is taking away from the learning process.

Another thing is that the parents do not seem to care what happened. All

you hear is ?My son/daughter would never do that.?. They make derogatory

remarks about the teacher and nothing is ever done. In reality, the teachers

are probably with the child more than the parents are. In turn, the students

see that if they get in trouble all they have to do is get Mom/Dad up at

school and nothing will happen. Did the child learn anything? No, except

how to get out of trouble by blaming someone else.

In conclusion, I say if you have a punishment system; use it

and follow-up on the student?s progress. Repeat offenders should get a

harsher punishment than the first time. Do not pick and choose who to

punish and who not to. Support the people who work for you so they will

enjoy work more and will be more likely to stay for several years and maybe

even retire from here. This school is not a bad place to send your kids, it

may be the best in the county. But it still has room for improvement. You

have many bright and athletic children here. Mold them into

caring, responsible adults, not punk teenagers. ?The real student will learn

without guidance, but without guidance they will not learn what is really

important.? Jessica Tolin,2000.