That's What It Takes

 warning: spider image ahead and if you have a phobia about them, you might want to skip the picture. We like them, try to protect them as much as we can-- outside, of course *s*

With the election less than a month away, only four topics are left in this series. There are more remaining issues I find important and am torn on which ones to look at with some research and my own insights garnered over 81 years. Yep, I am a Libra and just had that birthday. 

For us, it has been a busy month what with getting a new cat from the cat shelter, who has the energy of a kitten even if she's not. Her rambunctiousness is on and then abruptly off. It has been a long time since we've had a kitten. Being an old woman, I appreciate her level of energy even though it's been a while since I had anything like it. A long while. 

Fortunately,  Raven and Babe adapted to Luna after a week, with only an occasional hiss, growl,and swat-- from all three sides. We knew it would liven things up, and it sure did. When she decided to play with a female tarantula in the cat yard, we figured this was just a kitten thing and she'd grow out of it... *fingers crossed* 

Lady tarantula was relocated amidst some Mesquite trees (lucky we bought an insect net some years back). Hopefully she will lay many eggs-- not in our patio area though. *s* The one we saw earlier was all black and smaller, which they say fits the males. This female could be as old as 30. That would be quite cool if she's been around longer than us.

 

So, back to my topics. Too bad more of you don't comment as you could tell me if one of the issues on my list would be of interest to you. They are all interesting to me, but some are more dicey to cover. I naturally have opinions, but am not out in the world enough to know more than what I read, have experienced and hear-- hopefully from reputable sources. So, I'll jump on one of the dicey ones and give it my best shot.

We still have one grandson in public school. The other grandchildren have gone on various paths. The one in school doesn't talk to me much about his classes; so, that all makes me more than a few years from having personal info in public school.

My own education involved high school and missing one term of a teaching degree (unfortunately student teaching ) due to some lifestyle choices, which means no piece of paper. I don't regret that lack, but I did get a lot of education courses before we took a turn south and lived in Arizona for a year. Still, they were then, even my children's, and this is now

In case you didn't notice, those three paragraphs were disclaimers... lol. To be honest, I am apprehensive to take on the education system in the US. I have many friends and relatives that are or were teachers. I do understand how the system works in the sense that they are given a curriculum to teach, and it may not always be what they would have done had they the free choice that was true in the long ago.

Here goes and repeating that these are my ideas based on the experiences of an old woman. Many feel old people don't understand the new world cultures being entered. Maybe they need to consider the advantages in the educational one our country left. Before leaving something of possible value, it  should be evaluated.

Starting with home economic and shop classes. I don't recall how many years we took of each, but in my home ec, I learned the basics of sewing a skirt, using a pattern, putting in a zipper, and a home budget. Then we learned the basics of cooking. It was all girls back then as the boys took shop, which meant learning how to draw plans and make things with raw materials like wood or metal. 

Both skills are useful in life. For years, I made all our family's clothing and loved doing it. My brother said he learned to weld in shop and used it later in his work. i suppose this was dropped due to a feeling it was sexist. Easy fix, let boys and girls choose which classes they wanted. Boys benefit from knowing how to cook and girls could find it handy to know how to use a hammer or saw. We are all different in what we enjoy. The big thing is these are survival skills.

I also had the option (and suspect that most kids do today) to take some work oriented classes. As in for me, it was shorthand, typing, and then working in an office, which in my case was secretary for our head health teacher.

Now we get to one of the main things inspiring me to choose education as a topic. Atlantic magazine had a piece from someone researching how college literature teachers in the US felt about the students they get. One after another said that today's students cannot read a whole book, especially not complex novels of the past. One professor said not even a full sonnet. They are not getting students out of high school, even the top ones in top universities, who are prepared for complex thinking. The students have told their profs that they can't accept an entire book as an assignment. It's too much work with all they have going.

So, what's causing this? One prof guessed smart phones and short bits of information. Whatever the case, high schools are not challenging these kids. Now, when I was in high school. the literature class not only involved Moby Dick, but also complex sonnets and other short stories by classic authors to discuss. We didn't get to say we couldn't. It meant a grade. Do kids run the classes now?

I saw a sign of what might have been to come in my daughter's grade school class, maybe second. The kids were hanging out the windows, totally acting uncivilly. The teacher told me my daughter was so refreshing. I replied, Not really. She's just doing what she should do.  Somewhere teachers apparently lost control, and I don''t know why but have some ideas, which I won't go into, but you might consider your own.

Finally, we have the math and science classes-- if they still exist. I read one education theory that math isn't fair to minorities as they can't do it. From where did that dumb idea come (yes, I call it dumb or ignorant. My husband worked with minorities many times as an engineer. They are as sharp as anybody if they had a natural aptitude or been encouraged and feel the teacher has faith in them. 

Schools are the foundation of a wise society-- or better be.

What I seem to see now are students spending more time being taught how they should think as in politically. Instead of classes in literature, mathematics, algebra, science for the basic facts, it looks as though they are being taught an agenda that maybe was handed to the teacher by school boards or curriculum committees. 

Over and over I hear today's young people aren't willing to work hard. especially GenZs. Was that parents or our system? Maybe, games, entertainment? I don't know, but it does not bode well for the future if this continues, as a people who do not know how to work will fail. The idea it can be handed to us comes to an end when nobody is there doing the work

You know, we used to be encouraged by what came before us. My age group grew up with parents and grandparents that lived through the Great Depression. They not only knew how to work hard, but taught their children as they feared the results for our personal lives if we could not.   

We need teachers like that. There's one thing it takes to teach children where it didn't come easily to them. Believe in us and we will move whatever necessary to make it happen.  

 Encouragement doesn't mean phony praise. It means helping someone go in a direction they were headed and succeed. It means making something more likely to happen. I don't believe in no grades. Grades are something to work for because they mean something was accomplished. To deny them because one isn't willing to work for them helps nobody.

Our daughter was brilliant in reading but where it came to math, she was in a remedial class. The school actually asked us if that was okay. Are you kidding! We were delighted as it gave her the chance to get past her math barrier. I remember asking her what is 1 + 1 and she would panic. So, if kids don't find a subject in their sphere, get them extra help. It  moves mountains.

I don't blame the teachers for the current failure of the educational system. They have to also be encouraged and given the basic materials with which to work. I had some great teachers in high school and college-- but also know what it was like when a teacher didn't believe in me. 

When we don't have a good teacher, then challenge ourselves. I did that when toward the end of high school, I wanted to read all the classics of literature. I'd take an author like John Steinbeck and read every book they wrote. Libraries were my hunting ground. I had started in the toddler's room, moved down to the children's, and then to the adult's. Each one challenged me in its time.

I want to add that what I just said about being able to work hard does not mean liberal or conservative. I know both sides that work very hard. It's the attitude within the parties that might change that work attitude.

We can challenge ourselves; and if we want to have the ability to apply philosophy, logic, and then vote with wisdom, we better learn! The world is full of lies. Short bits are not much oriented toward building a solid base for a life or a culture.

 

photo from Stencil