... just thoughts. As I work with kids of various ages I see many of the issues of our culture up close and personal. I see all levels of parenting, all levels of behavior, all levels of discipline and perseverance, frustration and fascination. I also see as a parent that what I thought was cool when I was a kid, I have second thoughts about now. I'm talking about our culture. I bring it up as a education discussion because I've been seeing so many people and news outlets saying how bad our education system is in comparison to other countries; when 20-30 years ago, we were number 1. I think part of this has to do with culture.
This is not an attack on just hip hop or Jerry Springer type entertainment. But, if Tipper Gore was still doing what she did 30 years ago with hip hop and other music that has lot violence in it, I'd kiss her on the mouth, while my younger self wanted to smack her. What I have a problem with is not with music of young people today (I sound like my grandfather,"you play that jazz music that all them younguns play…"). What I have a problem with is all media: movies, TV, Cable, internet, music, magazines billboards…EVERYTHING. There are so many mixed messages out there as to what makes a human being feel good, that we don't put enough on about what makes a good human being. Say what you like about "father knows best" from the 50s but it was clear, whether you liked it or not. The problem then was that was all there was. No shades of gray, no people that have problems, no people with melanin, etc. It is the same problem we have now except the opposite side of the coin. When there is no balance, it's very difficult to have balance. How can parents deal with showing their kids the right things to do when every media outlet shows how wonderful the wrong thing is! Not just a little, but all the dang time!
This relates to education because when kids are trying to be cool, they do what they see. And what they see is not people who are doing well because of education. When we have a presidential candidate saying he doesn't know the president of Uzbeki-eki-stany-stan, and people applaud him for that stance…that's a problem.
Remember "Goodtimes"? All the children and family may have had their issues, but they all were talented, did well in school, tried their best in difficult circumstances. I have kids who literally walk out of class BECAUSE THEY FEEL LIKE IT, and teachers having nervous breakdowns because they just can't get through. We as a culture need to decide that enough is enough and just because you can make a dinosaur from extinct DNA doesn't mean it's a good thing to create a bloodthirsty wild tyrannosaurus rex. Just because it feels good and makes money doesn't mean that it is good…let's take our responsibilities as a culture seriously for goodness sake...
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