in and out of the classroom. This is stream of consciousness I admit it.
I've read countless entries on FB blaming our schools for the ignorance of some voters. Folks look around. I really do not watch much TV. I do catch commercials for show I'll never watch. Shows I know my coworkers over the years did watch. Survivor. American Idol. Dancing with the Stars. Some goof ball show that had their contestants doing outrageous stunts to win something. Don't know what. Never watched to find out. Probably money. Most folks don't humiliate themselves or eat bugs for free.
When was the last time you saw somong reading a book on TV. I can't speak for the movies I haven't seen very many over the past few years and most of those were more than a few years old. Jon Luc Picard in Next Gen. Frank and Henry Reagan in Blue Bloods. Keiko O'Brian started a school on the space station in Deep Space Nine and was shown in the class room over several episodes. There are numeroous sceens in Blue Bloods where the kids are quizzed about school work, school projects. The traditional location for homework in the Reagan house is the kitchen. Nice touch.
The study in the ranch house in the old Virginian series had a wall book case with drawers below, shelves above. Heck even the ranch house in Bonanza had a book case and I believe I've seen every family member reading at least once. Including Hoss. The son who was more in touch with what the land could teach him.
Anyway. We had books and magazines in our house on a logger's pay. My grand parents had a set of World Book Encyclpedias that they gave mom. Heck I even read the first aid book.
I don't know how the curriculem is structured these days. In my day (heaven help me my codger genes are showing) Jr high and Sr high had set periods. English, social studies so on. two years of basic science, earth/space science, and biology. Two years of elective science. A period each of English and Social studies. In Oakridge we hit US history three times. Fifth grade, eighth grade, junior year. Periods of fifty five minutes. T
That's less than five hours a week over four quarters of nine weeks each. Plus home work assignments. Folks that is a drop in the bucket. Almost no support in the media. A culture that at best downplays learning or at worst ridicules it. Learning is "eliteist." Whatever that means. Science is ridiculed as fake news. "I've done research on the internet." Youtube most likely. Breitbart, Praeger "University". University my ass.
Teachers like my cousin Greg in Egene, my sister, a nephew teaching science down in Texas work their asses off in this country and are met with lousy pay and next to no respect in too many communities. Jim Wright over in Stonekettle Station keeps ringing the bell "you want a better country you need better citizens." You want better citizens? You have to support learning not only in the classroom but in the culture. Find a used copy of Carl Sagan's Demon Haunted World. It's on Kindle but it is pricey.
I could go on and on and on. You want to know why our student's don't place very well compared to other countries. Finland,, Japan, China. even India when the family can afford it value education. Their kids value education.
I beleive it's North Carolina just elected a twenty five year old candidate for the house withno political experience, no education (apparently) beyound high school. runs a company with one employee, him.
I am no fan of literacy tests but is you want to vote? Pass the test new cititzens have to take. Written or verbal. Maybe with a little coaching. Heck make it open book, or open computer. We covered voting and how elections are run in Modern Problems my senior year. We got a crash course in Oregon doing the work it took to get vote by mail.
Damn it you do not mob the voting centers. You don't see democrats doing this. But hey it worked so well for the Republicans back in 2000 and now they let us carry guns. Way to go. Well this wandered all over the place, time to go.
And too many commericials show parents as pals. Not parents. You want to get your kid to eat. Serve them mac and cheese. And don't take the time to go shopping. Sucscribe to a meal service at twice the cost. Simple dishes made with basic recipes and time. Time to share with the kids. Time to get them to help. Heck one thing I sort of remember from toddler days was MY cupboard in the kitchen. An old pan, a couple cans, a wooden spoon. But I was in the kitchen while mom was. Dan built a fence after he came home and found me tethered to the clothes line while mom worked in the garden. We didn't even get a TV until 1956. And then it wasn't on that much. Thank you. Thank you.
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