Obama vs McCain and Education

My thoughts are flowing on a very large topic today, so all I have is brevity, and not such good organization, but it is my Right2Rage ...

I am frustrated by the "education of our children" struggle in the government. We know what works, yet we fail to follow through. Everyone is not equal, not in families, schools, towns, cities, states and countries. There are very bright children who want to work with their hands, and our best tools and methodology comes from just such people. We need to stop pushing our children toward college, and offer trade schools and mentor programs instead, like apprenticeships. Electricians, plumbers, butchers, bookkeeping and many other trades were learned best by one-on-one mentoring. Sure, there needs to be basic understanding of the intellectual and functional tools needed to do the jobs successfully, and we do rely on technology for more and more, but not in everything.

We still need skilled ditch diggers for the jobs technology and large equipment are unable to do. Better ditch digging equipment comes from ditch diggers improving the methods and tools that advances our society. Ditch digging is honest work and currently, is done by Mexican workers, at least here in Arizona. Yet, I am certain that there are teens, who if put to work by their parents doing physical labor, would discover the value of a dollar, the value of hard work, the value of team effort, and the value of learning. I worked in a potato cellar in Idaho, painted walls for the local school district, and waited tables when I was in high school and college. Many of the values I now hold dear came from those experiences. I learned discipline and respect for my fellow workers while doing those jobs. And, there were so many more of them than me, I knew I needed to listen to instructions, ask questions, and work hard. That was how I earned my place on the team. My children are learning the same, and it is a struggle for me to place such bright children in the trenches, but how will they learn the value of basics otherwise?

Senator Obama has two daughters attending private schools, yet defends preservation of the public schools so they are not the dumping grounds for poor or ill mannered children. Senator McCain believes in the wisdom of parents and teachers coming together and resolving the education situation regionally. Senator McCain represents a state, Arizona, where the school systems have failed and the Arizona Department of Education along with our governors, have been experimenting with educational ideology for over ten years. My children are the result of such experimentation and are doing exceptionally well, and they are happy with life goals. They participated in Mesa Public Schools Eagleridge Homeschool Enrichment Program. The value of that program is easily seen in the success of the students who have gone on to high schools, colleges and careers. The classes were small, teachers accredited, supported by the Mesa Public School System, and student enriched. Children who misbehaved were not allowed to remain in the program, and parents understood that, so did the students. Rules and respectful behavior were as much socially guarded and demanded by the students as by any of the teachers.

I guess the issue I personally have is the seeming need we have for teachers to not stifle a students moral, yet we all learn from corrections. So what is wrong with some students failing, having to conform to socialized norms, and working for advancement? Really, one of the striking differences between private and public schools is the discipline factor, both parental and school culture.

Each generation has had MIA parents. The church, school, neighborhood and employment have been the safety net for kids, so where are these now? As First Lady Hillary Clinton said, "It takes a village to raise a child." I think many of the village aspects are still here, alive and well, just the news reports the aberrant rather than the norm, so we are all afraid. Fear and feeling hopeless and defensiveness is what is bringing us all down. We have put too many restrictions on our teachers, and not enough on our students. I look at my children, their friends and those in the neighborhood and I just don't see the kids in the news. I don't see the news reporting norms and information for awareness. I guess it sells papers and advertising, so that is what we will continue to call "news." Though I would much rather read about the children who are succeeding, and how they are succeeding.