I have been gearing up for the first round of parent teacher conferences and have already had some interesting conversations with the teachers in the middle school where my daughter attends. I can see how the world has changed from when I was in school to where my children are now. I am sure it was the same in the eyes of my parents. I hear the old saw of “What are they teaching these kids?” Our system seems to be broken. The following video is a sobering account of where we are in our education system today.
I can’t say that I blame any one sector, be it the school administrators, the teachers and educators, the society we are currently living in or if it gets back to the basics of one thing, parents.
The folks over at Waiting For Superman are looking to change the current trend by educating us on the state of the education system. The film debuts today on NY and in LA. You can make a pledge to see the movie and help a good cause at the same time. Get over and take a look at their site and what they have as a message. Are we losing the education race? It seems from the video above that we may be losing and continuing the spiraling.
My twins are also in middle school (7th grade) and I’ve been worried about the education system for years. Addressed that by sending my oldest (now 22) to a private school; can’t afford to do it again. Bottom line: we are not establishing learning expectations high enough and not challenging our kids. I’m so tired of hearing “I finished my homework in class.” Class should be for teaching, not for doing homework – that’s why it’s called homework.
BTW, couldn’t watch video on an iPhone 4; just a big blank space where it should be.
What a well done video! The visuals alone suck you in. Great message as well.
Education is so important yet it all starts with one thing…the parents. If parents aren’t instilling the importance of school and an education our children are never going to want to go.
We also need to do more than tell them that they “have to go” to school. We need to show them the benefits and advantages for going and the consequences for not. In America going to school is a drag. In other countries, going to school is a priviledge.
This sort of thinking starts at the home. The good news is it’s something we do have control over, we can change that perception.
Thank for sharing this vidoe Tshaka it’s definitely something that I think will resonate with all parents.
Definitely want to see this film. Totally agree that we as the parents have the first and bear the most responsibility for the education of our kids. To get them excited about learning. Open their hearts and minds to the discoveries. Thanks for posting and sharing.