Rhiannon wrote:I am not ready to see my son go back to school. The minute they walk in the door all they are going to hear is "OGT or OAT"..whatever happened going to school and learning things you needed in the real world instead of how to take a test? I didn't have to take all those tests when I went to school and I think I turned out pretty good....heck now I am one of those people greeting the kids with "OGT and OAT". Hope all the kids going back have a great school year!
Right on target. I dont disagree with Wildthing, either. I understand that we are falling behind the rest of the industrialized nations, but Im not sold on the idea that more schooling is the answer. I suspect there are several problems at play, here.
(1) The family unit is eroding. Parents seem to have less time to work with their kids than their parents or grandparents had. Some of this is due to more single parents, some due to both parents working, more parents than ever before just dont care.
(2) Many school systems spend way too much time on a state mandated test that is doing more harm than good.
(3) Too much time is lost on the re-teaching train of mind. Kids dont need education rammed down their throats all summer, but there are many other alternatives to what they percieve as education. 2 examples: My oldest son has been working at the Baker Center at OU for over a year. This summer, he worked quite alot. He hasnt had near the time to rot his mind with TV and X-Box. Point is that the body needs worked to keep the mind sharp. That, and with money in his pocket, he is understanding economics better than what he grasped out of class.
My youngest son enjoys science and geography. Needless to say,we spend alot of time in Zaleski State Forrest, Lake Hope, and many back roads in the area. If he sees a tree or a bird that he does not recognize, he is searching his field guide to figure it out. This young man, without a doubt, could survive off the land.
Iguess my 3rd point actually goes back to the first. Its my responsibility to see what interests my children have and to aid them as much as possible toward that direction.
, my wife.............. 
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