The education system is failing. That is a big topic in Baltimore these days. That their school system has experienced all manner of problems is well documented. The grades are down, overall assessment testing proves that. Attendance is way down. The schools aren't safe at all. Too many teachers fearing for their lives, too many students afraid, and little being done about that. In fact, the school resource officers, that's what they call the police in the school, aren't allowed to take their weapon with them. They aren't allowed to do much of anything. They are being spit at, hit, and called names. Nothing done about any of that. The Baltimore city superintendent of schools has a salary of over 400,000 dollars! That same superintendent is under investigation for grade changing and attendance changing. And that isn't all, there is much talk about the "ghost" students, those that are on the books, attend school every day, but don't exist! All of that activity surrounding getting federal funds. The system is failing the students and the proposal to fix it is, more money.
Our new governor has promised to throw more money at this problem. Our previous governor built an excess in funds, in the billions. He had proposed many changes to the school system, but they were rejected by the legislature. That's because he was a Republican, and the legislature was controlled by the Democrats. Our new governor is a Democrat, the legislature is controlled by the Democrats. The money will be spent! But what is the money to be spent on? The narrative is the schools will only improve when every school has everything every other school has. Those things aren't better teachers, better books or better discipline. No, those things are items like gyms, after school programs, the latest in high tech computers and free wi-fi for those deemed underprivileged. I can't imagine what sector of the population will benefit, almost exclusively, from the expenditure of those funds!
The whole thing is crazy. Money is not going to fix the education system. The first thing that needs to be addressed in the system is the parents of the students! It's the parents that are allowing the kids to behave in the manner they do. The parents aren't being held accountable at all. All of this stuff these kids are bringing into the school these days, some of which requires a metal detector to discover is just crazy. I'm not thinking about high school kids, these kids are in elementary school. Their parents know nothing about that? It's true when they say the system can't be fixed overnight, I won't argue that, but it has to start somewhere. It needs to start with the parents!
The next thing that needs to happen is a focus on learning. Never mind about all the extras. Set that minimum passing grade and adhere to it. No more of this grading on a curve. These are the right answers. If those answers aren't provided you are wrong, you fail. That should be all there is to that. Go back to the basics. Give those kids paper and pencil. No computers, none of that. First you learn to read and write! If you are failing in academics, you should not be allowed to participate in all the extracurricular stuff. That's why it is called EXTRAcirricular in the first place. It is secondary to receiving an education.
You know why the system is failing? It's failing because we are not holding parents accountable, not holding teachers accountable, and not holding the students accountable. It is just one excuse after another. Whether a child can learn is not dependent upon all the peripherals. The desire to learn has to be instilled in the child from day one. That's the job of the parents. And I'm sick of hearing all those excuses. He doesn't have a daddy, they have a single mother, they are poor, they don't have wi-fi and the list goes on. All excuses, not reasons. When parents view the school system as a day care center this is the result. The kids are running the schools now, not the administrators!
You aren't going to buy any of that. I don't care how much money you spend; it will not educate the children. You simply can't buy that. I'm tired of hearing about receiving an equitable education. What the heck is that even supposed to mean? Information isn't equitable, it's the same for everyone. The truth is the same for everyone. The correct answers are the correct answers for everyone. It makes no difference if you go to a one room schoolhouse or the biggest school in the country the answers are the same.
Education is equal opportunity. The thing to understand about that is; education, like equal opportunity doesn't guarantee equal results. There are a lot of educated damn fools in this world. It is what you do with that education, with that opportunity that matters. But all education must start with the student themselves. That is started with the parents. The desire to learn must be instilled in the children from a very early age. If it isn't they will spend their lives trying to catch up or looking for excuses. The school system isn't failing the students, the parents are! That's where it all begins.
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