Education in America - Joke

Today's public school education sucks. Period. Our kids today are doomed. The things that kids crave and enjoy most (recess, gym, the arts) are all being cut. And today's American parents and society wonder why child obesity is an issue. Wake the hell up. Kids need exercise. Hell, we ALL need exercise. But we live and are consumed by this selfish society with our complex lives and technological gadgets which keep us from staying healthy. It's our own damn fault. Stop blaming McDonald's, stop blaming school cafeteria food, and stop blaming it on video games. Bad food has been around for centuries. It's NOT the food, it's our lifestyle. Get the kids off the damn couch, out of the classroom, and get them outside. Problem solved.

Before you criticize me and ask me what do I know about education and parenting, I am a stepmother of an eight year old, and have assisted in raising her with my husband since she was three years old. For several years in my life, I wanted to be a teacher. I purchased books, took the teacher's test, and even got halfway through a Master's in education. Why didn't I finish? Two reasons. 1.) I was laid off and couldn't afford to finish school, 2.) I realized what bullshit the American education system is in public schools. I took several education related courses. The final one I took was a course dedicated to reading. I can't remember the exact course title. It was about child intelligence and teaching them how to read. It was interesting, yet maddening at the same time. I began to notice a pattern. A pattern in which I was completely against. All education was about was putting a label on a child. When a child could read, he or she was put into a category. If a child had difficult reading, another category, and so on. I understand that it is to better the child's understanding and reading development, but so what if maybe they learn slower than the other students? Why is EVERYTHING so assessment based? They are KIDS.

This blog goes out to my eight year-old stepdaughter. We just got a report from her teacher earlier this week. She is doing exceptionally well in art. She's excelling more than all the other kids and she was even chosen to HELP other children with their art assignments. The teacher couldn't say enough about her creativity and imagination. Then came the downside. The teacher claimed that she had spent a ton of time drawing, cutting out, and taping all the characters from the movie "How to Train Your Dragon". Although the teacher commended her on her efforts, she immediately expressed her concerns on how she spends a lot of time dreaming and believing that dragons and fantasies are real. My husband's reponse to that was, "So? She's EIGHT!" What eight year-old DOESN'T believe in dragons and fantasies? Is she supposed to choose a religion and write a philosophical paper on religion and life before age ten??? Cut the shit. My husband continued to sternly address that with all the bad shit in the world, let kids have their fantasies. The world sucks. Don't ruin their innocence. Let them be KIDS for chrissake. Not to mention, maybe her creativity and wild imagination the reason WHY she excels in art. Come on, you mean to tell me these educational professionals can't figure that out??? And I know there are more kids out there that are the same way as my stepdaughter. But no, God forbid they have a mind of their own or think outside the box. We might as well be Nazi Germany with the way we brainwash our kids. We should be ashamed of ourselves.

All in all, education in America sucks. The MLB and NFL make millions upon millions of dollars each year to throw and catch a fucking BALL yet our schools are piss poor. They are packing thirty plus kids to a classroom, (which is a complete fire hazard but whatever, turn the other cheek, right?) cutting foreign language, music and the arts, physical education, and recess. All the things kids enjoy. Kids are our future, people. They are going to be running this world and taking care of us one day, so we better take care of them now. Let's not brainwash them into level-headed adults before fourth grade. Let kids be kids. Let them be dreamers. Let them run around and have fun. Let them eat what they want, (within reason, of course). Let them enjoy life, because as adults, they are going to realize how much it sucks. And it's going to suck even worse for them when they are older. And the reason why it's going to suck worse is because of us and what we are doing to them now.