Condaleeza Rice

[Scuttlebutt]

Jim, I cannot agree more! What more can you say...class, grace, intelligence, articulate, leadership, strength, poise...on and on. This was my favorite excerpt...

"You might not be able to control your circumstances but you could control your response to your circumstances. And your greatest ally in doing so was a quality education.

Let me ask you, though, today, when I can look at your zip code and can tell whether you are going to get a good education – can I really say that it doesn’t matter where you came from – it matters where you are going. The crisis in K-12 education is a grave threat to who we are.

My mom was a teacher – I have the greatest respect for the profession – we need great teachers – not poor or mediocre ones. We need to have high standards for our students – self-esteem comes from achievement not from lax standards and false praise. And we need to give parents greater choice – particularly poor parents whose kids – most often minorities are trapped in failing neighborhood schools. This is the civil rights struggle of our day.

If we do anything less, we will condemn generations to joblessness, hopelessness and dependence on the government dole. To do anything less is to endanger our global economic competitiveness. To do anything less is to tear apart the fabric of who we are and cement a turn toward grievance and entitlement"

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by Scuttlebutt

Jim, I cannot agree more! What more can you say...class, grace, intelligence, articulate, leadership, strength, poise..."

She has so much depth to her life story. She doesn't throw bombs, she doesn't blame whitey for anything (althjough yuo couldn't blame her if she did, growing up in segregated Birmingham).

She's just awesome...

[RIJIMMY]

Originally Posted by Scuttlebutt

Let me ask you, though, today, when I can look at your zip code and can tell whether you are going to get a good education – can I really say that it doesn’t matter where you came from – it matters where you are going. The crisis in K-12 education is a grave threat to who we are.

"

was it different 30,40, 50 years ago? In the small town I grew up in, my parents told me how the italians, polacks and germans were always fighting, kids were dirt poor and their parents worked their butts off. Schools had no technology. Believe it not, they survived. What made teachers better then? Schools were BETTER then?

Serioulsy, how were SCHOOLs or teachers better then?

[Scuttlebutt]

Originally Posted by RIJIMMY

was it different 30,40, 50 years ago? In the small town I grew up in, my parents told me how the italians, polacks and germans were always fighting, kids were dirt poor and their parents worked their butts off. Schools had no technology. Believe it not, they survived. What made teachers better then? Schools were BETTER then?

Serioulsy, how were SCHOOLs or teachers better then?

Kids respected/feared teachers...and our parents backed them up! if you messed up in school the teacher took you in the coat room and "fixed" the problem...then, when you got home, the 'ol man fixed the problem again. Chances are you never messed up again. Today the 'ol man calls the lawyer...and the kid packs a steak knife in his back pack.

[RIJIMMY]

Originally Posted by Scuttlebutt

Kids respected/feared teachers...and our parents backed them up! if you messed up in school the teacher took you in the coat room and "fixed" the problem...then, when you got home, the 'ol man fixed the problem again. Chances are you never messed up again. Today the 'ol man calls the lawyer...and the kid packs a steak knife in his back pack.

agree and all the tax dollars and teachers are not going to change that

[rphud]

The more teachers you talk to, the more you know Kevin hit the nail directly on the head. The problem we now face is there are too few parents that will get it done for their children. This looming crisis is not class warfare, it is not economic warfare, it will be education warfare. Both class and economics will be the direct result of level of education. It is not jobs, it is not the economy, it is education of the masses of children who's parents will not educate them that will determine where the US goes in the very near future. This will be the measure of success of both the president and the senate and the congress. None of whom seem to get it, let alone talk about it. Planning on individual success by pulling oneself up by their bootstraps is not going to cut it much longer folks. Time to send this message to all parties and both sides to get their act together on this before it is too late. My guess is too late is not all that far away.

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by rphud

The more teachers you talk to, the more you know Kevin hit the nail directly on the head. The problem we now face is there are too few parents that will get it done for their children. This looming crisis is not class warfare, it is not economic warfare, it will be education warfare. Both class and economics will be the direct result of level of education. It is not jobs, it is not the economy, it is education of the masses of children who's parents will not educate them that will determine where the US goes in the very near future. This will be the measure of success of both the president and the senate and the congress. None of whom seem to get it, let alone talk about it. Planning on individual success by pulling oneself up by their bootstraps is not going to cut it much longer folks. Time to send this message to all parties and both sides to get their act together on this before it is too late. My guess is too late is not all that far away.

You are correct on the education warfare. Spot. On. These kids in tough neighborhoods hardly have a chance. Those that can work their way out through sheer determination are far too small of a percentage to matter in the long run.

The rest have miserable job prospects and return, on average, to continue the cycle. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Except that each cycle seems to extend the cycle more.

Unfortunately, both parties cannot get their act together on this and cannot shout from the rooftops for people to get their sheeit together. They will be labeled as out of touch, racist, or cruel.

Wonder if there is a study that tracks kids read to by parents from infant on up. Bet the parent read kids do far better on the whole than the ones that don't. A simple story every night - who knew?

There are a lot of good kids out there, but some of them don't have a chance.

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by JohnR

There are a lot of good kids out there, but some of them don't have a chance.

And that is the shame of it. Unless parents are willing to sacrifice and put
their children first they shouldn't bring them into the world.
By first I don't mean providing them with extreme material things, but provding a well rounded disciplined life.

[spence]

Originally Posted by JohnR

Wonder if there is a study that tracks kids read to by parents from infant on up. Bet the parent read kids do far better on the whole than the ones that don't. A simple story every night - who knew?

Remember RIF? Hell, we had that beaten into our heads.

It's a rare night I can get away with just one story for my youngest, more like 4-6. Then again, perhaps that's why he can carry on a pretty good conversation at 2 years of age.

-spence

[Swimmer]

Originally Posted by RIJIMMY

Serioulsy, how were SCHOOLs or teachers better then?

They weren't. I believe the parents were better then. Parents first, friend second to thier kids.