Schools are not to blame for students' failure

There is much discussion about the failure of education. I see fingers pointed at teachers, administrators, lack of funding, and more. But the blame always seems to be pointed at the education system. There are always problems with any large system. And the education system is no exception. However, for the last year, I have been speaking with educators from both the high school and college level. I have found them to be knowledgeable and devoted to their profession. And many giving their whole heart and sometimes getting it broken. I have also been speaking with local businesses concerning the quality of the education of high school and college graduates seeking employment (but, I’ll get to that later).

I have come to the conclusion, much, if not most, of the problem is not the system, but us. The parents and grandparents of today’s youth. Our children are not our best friends, or our pets. They are our highest responsibility. Having children only requires the physical ability to have sex. The raising of a child requires considerable time, patience, extreme mental strength, and the duty to make them reach for goals beyond their expectations. I was once told “rich people teach their kids to be rich.” Well, I have also seen the opposite to be true. Many poor people show no expectation of success to their children. I’ve known poor people that would give you the shirt off their back and apologize for the buttons not matching. But they never gave their kids the stars as a target. Kids (from all walks of life) are very capable, they just need to know they have expectations placed upon them. And to know, and understand, there will be failures. But failures, and learning to get up and try again, are what help create wisdom. That experience can’t be learned from a book.

I have spoken with many parents and children involved in home schooling. Most appear to be doing exceptionally well. And I think the main reason is the parent involvement and the expectations placed upon them. These kids have a head start simply because of this parental involvement. However, I hope the home schooling parents are aware of an additional valuable educational aid. The career and technical courses and opportunities available through the school system. If you are one of these home schooling parents, and are not aware of these opportunities, I believe you will be amazed at what you find. For example: in health professions, even a CNA can be obtained; there is journalism/media technology, welding/trades, individualized occupational training (would you believe obtaining a pilot’s license); business technology; 3D design (CAD), and they even have a 3D printer. As they say on television, “but wait, there’s more.” It is a truly incredible program, ran by highly qualified and dedicated instructors. I have had the pleasure of walking through some of these classes and speaking to the instructors. I was impressed. It would be a frustrating loss of potential future talent not to use what is locally available. For information, on these courses and more, please take the time to contact Sandpoint High School at 208-263-3034, ext. 4154.

Now, back to my speaking with the business owners. Almost every business I have contacted, said they have difficulty finding good employees. They describe applicants as having no work ethic, no loyalty to an employer, and have a false sense of entitlement. A business (and community) can’t survive with this type of employee mentality. The applicants see no problem. In fact, they see the problem as the greedy employer. (Teachers are also having this problem, which leads us back to parent responsibility) I ask you, as a parent, to have your kids look up Mike Rowe’s “SWEAT” program, then discuss their opinions with you. And to pastors, priests, rabbis, and community leaders, I ask you to talk about, promote, and take some action to support a strong sense of parental responsibility. The rewards in a child’s life could be astounding.

MIKE NASH

Sagle