If you spend any time with any politician at some point they are going to say that “education now needs to teach kids the things they need for the future.
Well, far be it from me to take on collectively all of the politicians, but I would respectfully ask, what you are doing for the kids now?
More kids in single family homes. Devoid of a male influence in their lives.
Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker has an interesting idea. He wonders aloud why all schools can’t set aside a couple of janitorial position and teach the kids how to clean, how to be responsible, how it is to have a job and maybe make a few dollars to put away for college as well. It’s not an original idea.
Many moons ago, parochial grammar schools had their own way of teaching kids about responsibility. It was called taking the blackboard erasers down to the basement and cleaning them. Every school day toward the end the nun would pick two people to go down and clean them. Vacuum away.
Of course there was those certain days when I couldn’t help myself and there would be full out warfare with the other classes. Kids were covered in chalk dust.
Gingrich rightly points out that some child labor laws would have to be relaxed. But what if you in only a portion of the poorest schools in the poorest states that you allow the kids to work inside the school, punch of clock, get a work ethic, feel what it is like to make a living.
And, maybe if they are working they aren’t wasting time with electronic toys.
And, maybe they avoid of life of drugs and crime and fear of killing or being killed.
And maybe it makes them want another job worth more money and more responsibility.
It would take someone real strong to propose that.
Let’s put it this way…
The money is not infinite-- the ideas have to be different and they have to be judged by the standard of the future rather than the standard of today.
We can do that.
We should do that because how many times have you heard of under performing school districts---the same schools year after year after year.
Isn’t it time to do something different?
(Photo credit FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)