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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: RON BL who wrote (133390)	3/25/2001 1:24:50 AM
From: Kevin Rose	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769667

So one interesting question is: is the quality of education that children receive today really lower than ours? Some observations (not conclusions): 1) Kids nowadays start their formal education at a much earlier age. When I was in kindergarten (oh so many years ago), the chief goal was socialization and participating in a group. It was the first time that many kids even got together in a large group; most kids stayed home with Mom until kindergarten. Nowadays, they teach the alphabet, numbers, and even early reading skills. By first grade, they are taught to read. This acceleration of learning seems to me to be 1-2 grade levels earlier than our schooling. 2) Kids have more to learn. Face it, there is a lot of new technology that kids are confronted with. Kids learn to use a computer, learn video games, operate hand held devices, even how to program the VCR (which I never mastered). They start earlier, and are expected to learn more. 3) Kids are bombarded with more of everything: more toys, more games, more TV, more media, more reality, more consumerism, more more. 4) Kids have less time to BE kids. More organized sports, activities, and play time; less impromptu play. Kids are always busy, and seem more tired than when I was a kid. I think all these contribute to a crisis that happens right around puberty. My early puberty was spent mostly alone in my room; outside influences included radio and the three networks. Nowadays, kids are bombarded with a LOT of stuff, including a lot of BAD stuff. We warn them of the evils of drugs, molesters, sex, rock n roll, smoking, drinking, etc. They are bombarded with crap that would make a normal persons head explode, much less a preteen with hormones. I think THIS is when most students education takes a dive. I'd put a group of today's 5th graders up against us way back then; I think they'd kick our ass. But by the time they graduate high school, I think they have fallen way off the curve. I guess that's why I think that improvement in education has to be hand-in-hand with improvement in our kids ethical education and family involvement in the education process. My kids are not there yet, but I can see it in the kids of friends and relatives. The ones that came out ok, with not only a strong education but also a strong ethical base, were the ones that were taught ethics by their parents and not by all the other influences. The families were involved in their kids lives and education, so it wasn't a surprise at graduation that the kid could read the diploma. Like I said, just some random thoughts, no general conclusions, I guess just sort of my plan for my kids. I'll let you know in 10 years if it works out. I've got 4 chances; maybe I'll get one right... :)