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Immigration And Waiting For
Superman To Save The Day

By Frosty Wooldridge
4-2-11
 
Why has America's educational system fallen into an abyss? Why do we suffer 1.2 million teenagers dropping out annually before high school graduation?
 
The recent movie "Waiting for Superman" attempted to define America's educational breakdown, but it failed to address the root causes.
 
I asked Colorado immigration activist and housewife Marty Lich about her take on what is happening in America.
 
"I have a great deal to say about  Waiting for "Superman" , but it will go against everything those educated in public schools after 1980 have been taught," said Lich. "I am a product of public schools beginning in the 1960's, and ending in the early 1980's. Waiting for "Superman" did not cover the Root Cause of the educational implosion of today. 
 
"I can break it into two different areas--our country, political correctness and educators and the other side of the equation, which is students, parents and our society in today's world.
 
"So let me begin by stepping away from the money, bureaucracy and unions "Waiting for "Superman" addresses, they are a by-product, created in response to the core issues. In fact, they are a desperate after-thought, trying to correct what is and has gone wrong. The more we add-the worse it gets . "Waiting for "Superman" did address that part. 
 
"Our country has steadily slipped down in actual education. The United States was the leaders in the educational world. Our public education began in the 1960's and continues downward today. so we need to look at why--what has changed in America.  "Waiting for "Superman" covers that. 
 
"We always had poverty, we always had 'workers' and we always had immigrants, those are not different. It is the numbers, the tolerance, the indifference and lack of our values that have changed. "Waiting for "Superman" ignores this though, focusing instead on costs, bureaucracy and the resultant fallout, i.e., "drop-out factories" and "academic sinkholes".
 
"What changed first is immigration policies here, affecting our school population by sheer numbers today, versus four decades ago beginning in 1965, then in 1986 and now today. In fact, "Waiting for "Superman"  could address failed immigration policies and school fallout but chose not to.   We also have this desire to remain Politically Correct and practice tolerance at all costs.  
 
"Countries that are excelling in education are notably Asian and Indian. "Waiting for "Superman" addresses that, but not this next part. The Chinese have strict immigration policies--they are not politically correct, they are in factauthoritarian, and they not one bit interested in educating others children, they limit children born there but they value their own children's educations! They also follow this guideline; either you conform to their expectations, and live up to them or you are assigned the worker status, uneducated and among the very poor, even if you are 13 years old. In India-- if you are foreign born you pay for your child's education or they do not attend Indian schools. Period. 
 
"What had set the United States of America apart in years past was everyone could live up to their own potential--but it was earned, it was not given for free to everyone. That has changed, but can and should be reversed if we want to restore our education to the days we led the world in education. 
 
"In today's new Politically Correct educational way here, we have raised a generation that is now raising their children to falsely believe everyone is a winner and can do no wrong! Yippee!
 
"The bad news is - everyone is not a winner. If students add 2 plus 2 and say the answer is 5, they get a "A" for effort. They should be given a "F" for Failing. They failed! 
 
"But in public grade school, there are no "F" grades, because it hurts their little egos to show they failed. So it comes as no surprise to me that "Waiting for "Superman" showed the American students gave themselves the highest marks as the Most Educated Students, despite the actual fact that they are among the lower scorers in education. It is their egos speaking, which are beyond healthy. 
 
"The result is we have raised/educated a spoiled self-centered generation and they are raising the next generation of very spoiled, self- important student children. They possess a much higher self-worth than their actual value is. They need to learn respect, to work hard, and to be a contributing cog in the wheel of society. They, along with others, should be taught to pull together and lighten the load. But we do not teach that--we have told them that they are winners no matter how poorly they do their job in school. 
 
"You cannot educate such thinkers either, for they already know it all and they know they are right all the time, so what's to learn? They know they don't need to learn!  
 
"The reality check--we ALL fail--that's how one learns to excel! But as we do not teach that, it is little wonder our teen suicides and escape through drug/alcohol abuse is so high. On the rare occasion they are told they have messed up--they fall apart.
 
"When I was in grade school--children were paddled if they misbehaved by the principal. The result was, very few children misbehaved. We had classrooms of thirty plus students--but we learned, because my friends sat, listened, and did their homework. I am still friends with some of them and I still have my grade school class pictures to prove it! Children were really looked down on if they received Free/Reduced lunch - -as it should be. That is no Badge of Honor, it is not the 'norm', and it is factually a statement that their parents are failing them. Notice I did not say society failed them--their parents failed them. 
 
"In today's society the false belief is just as that one mom said in "Waiting for Superman" when she had not paid her child's tuition. She says why punish my daughter by not allowing her to attend a school event? Why make my daughter lose out? This mom blamed everyone but herself while the reality is, she is 100% to blame. Good for the school to withhold the fun school event from that child, that school just taught that child a valuable lesson of life-- "You get what you earn or work for and when you don't do your part, you lose out." That is exactly what ails American schools--but "Waiting for "Superman" did not address that.
 
"If schools want to be successful-and educate, as in teach, as in learn, then focus on this. Math and Reading. Period.
 
"If one is very proficient in math, one will find science, technology and music comes easy. If one can read, one can self-educate and history, arts, music---come easy. That is what one needs to know, in order to learn, but we have drifted away from that--we try to teach dual language, we try to teach science, history long before our students are proficient in math, spelling and reading. Big mistake and we are seeing the results now. It reminds me of phonetics --one big mistake with no 'Do-overs.'
 
"Do not focus on money, buildings, art, PE, music--they are not important in school. They are bonuses for a job well done. But we, in our PC thinking, of the Happy Hippie Era of the late 1960's, feel entitled before working. The trouble with that is, we aren't entitled. "One must earn one's bonuses and that is another life lesson that is ignored today.
 
"Back in the successful public school days- if we, in school, made a bad choice we were held after school as punishment. That meant you missed swimming lessons, music lessons, field trips, Girl Scouts, whatever, and it was tough toasties too. It was--PUNISHMENT! And we then walked home if we were kept after school due to our bad behavior and bad choices as well.
 
"And speaking of walking-if schools and parents and Michelle Obama are really worried about obesity, and couch potatoes-the solution is simple. No busing closer than 3 miles at any age. I walked, my friends all walked...and I lived in a very wealthy school district, they could afford buses but we walked. Rain, sun, wind, we walked. No PE offered in grade school--but we did have recess. And we weren't obese either.
 
"This documentary touched on parents in inner cities, parents who had no education themselves but value education for their child or grandchild. 
 
"Who "Waiting for "Superman" deliberately failed to cover (but what represents the majority) is the parents who expect the schools to do it all for them. These parents/students feel entitled and do not value anything if it requires any effort on their part. I love my children, but I am not their friend, I am not their peer. I am their best adult advocate and their toughest teacher as well. That is my role, for I am the adult parent. I also taught them the "yours, ours and theirs" of life- at a early age. 
 
-There is "your items" --which you own, you can wreck, protect, do whatever, they are yours.
 
 
-Then there is "ours"-- we in our house share it, furniture, cars, and you will respect it for it is shared and not yours alone to destroy. Then last, there is "other's property" --grandparents, friends, library, and schools. Those are not just yours, those are not our families--they belong to the people who allow you to use them. You will abide by their rules even if they differ from our families, you will respectful and I will check up on your behavior.   
 
"Our schools, need to require-not request - parents/students bear full responsibility for what their child does. When our public school students defy schools dress codes--don't give them spare clothes! Make them sit in the office until their parent arrives with appropriate clothing. Inconvenience the parents a few times and it won't happen anymore. 
 
"I heard one grandma worry in Waiting for "Superman" about her grandchild "getting in with the wrong crowd." She could escort her grandson to and from school every day, if she took that responsibility upon herself. She couldmonitor 'good choice' friends but she doesn't. There is no mention of that lack of personal responsibility in this documentary however. 
 
"Right now, there is no accountability, nor personal responsibility and all the unions, administrations and Federal interventions in the nation will not address that- -and that is the Root Problem. Why do you suppose Waiting for Superman glossed right over that as well?
 
"Public schools also do the following and it is far from successful. They put the top achievers in with the bottom, to give the low-performers good examples to follow. The truth is this - these low-achievers entire goal to get the high achievers down to their level. The ' Reason why' is simple--"Misery loves miserable company." 
 
"To conclude- -for whatever 'good intention but bad outcome' reason, our schools and our parents feel obligated to supply children with everything their little hearts' desire. Nothing is earned--it is bestowed. The result is there no value attached to anything and no consequences.
 
"The above is what "Waiting for "Superman" did not cover--and yet, that is the origins of the issues today that Superman did cover. You cannot correct issues until you go back to the cause of them. "Waiting for Superman"skipped right on over that."
 
  
 
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