We're now paying the price

[Mrs.Sippy]

Can anyone really be surprised that our teenagers and young adults have turned out they way that they have? We're now reaping the rewards of experiments implemented years ago. I know that at the time they weren't intended as such, but as they were scrapped, that's all they were.
Remember how the way arithmetic and English teaching methods were changed, then changed back again because it just didn't work? Then we had and still have the nanny state advising us against the dangers of corporal punishment. Didn't do poor little Baby P any good did it?
So now we have hoards of illiterate and innumerate youngers, hardly able to complete their housing benefit claim form whose attitude is distinctly arrogant and hostile as they've grown up being able to do exactly as they please.
Children are having babies almost as a fashion accessory, their parents being those of the 'experiment' age not having the sense to advise against it, and neither will they when their babies grow up, and so it will continue and multiply.

[pips1]

Good for you Mrs.Sippy - that told 'em.

[saxy_jag]

The reason kids are leaving school unable to read and write and do simple sums is their teachers, or at least the ones who comply with government regulations long enough to stay in the game. Kids will learn as and when they're ready, and it's up to a good teacher to adapt his/her teaching, to keep them inspired and wanting to learn. If they don't get such a teacher, they're going to go out and 'learn' the stuff we'd rather they didn't, especially if their parents grew up the same way.

Schools expect working class (or 'non' working class) kids to conform to their middle class values and they show their displeasure if they won't. They expect all kids to be up to a certain standard by a certain age and if they're not, then they have to be provided with catch-up classes until they are. All kids are expected not only to achieve, but to want to achieve. Plodding along at your own pace isn't allowed. Doing your own thing isn't allowed. Comply or fail. They don't like to use the F word in teaching these days, but it boils down to the same thing, I think.

Just as an example - those of you who don't drive and don't wish to, or who have tried and decided it's not for you (if you are a driver, just imagine) - how would you feel if you were made to attend special intensive lessons to bring you up to test standard, whether you wanted it or not? How would you like to be branded a troublemaker or called lazy if you voiced your resentment? How would feel about being treated with suspicion and a lack of common courtesy by people just because you walk to work rather than drive?

My guess is you wouldn't like it much. It wouldn't do much for your self-respect for starters, and you'd have even less respect for a society that treated you like this. Yet it's OK to treat kids like it.

[jojojojoanne]

blighty in the midst of a mass mall cultural epidemic without hope?

time brings change.

[123everton]

Jojo, what?
Saxy, I kind of disagree you can not have a state education that is personalised to the level you ascribe, firstly schools need discipline and they need that without the fear of retribution (sometimes violent) from parents.
If you look at government regulations the cry goes out too much testing. Ok, lets look at the country that produces the most university graduates in the world, China.
China tests it's children constantly at school, the levels of literacy in China are staggering, and the kids there seem a lot happier than the ones I see here daily, the B.B.C did a programme called "Chinese School" I defy anyone to watch it and not feel some admiration.
The first thing schools need to do is reintroduce competitive sports, schools are happy to push academia (rightly so) but are less happy to push sports. This is to the detriment of all non-academic kids who are very athletic have no chance to shine. Every child should learn the joy of success and how to cope with the disappointment of failure.

[123everton]

And here's another thing, I remember watching a programme about the laws on drugs and one of the contributors said that "year on year we bring out ever more draconian drug laws" he then went on to say "that no other policy in government has been seen to fail so consistently and yet be reinforced" it was a persuasive viewpoint (even though I disagreed with it) you could though say the same thing about sex education, every year we hear the same call from the "enlightened" intelligentsia to teach the facts of life at an ever younger age.
So what do these wise fools suggest, the first thing they do is rebrand it so what was once sex education is now sex and relationship education as if they can teach children how to spot a good spouse!
So then they bring out the "outer course" (or grooming as I call it) 6th formers telling 3rd years how to give out w@nks and put on condoms etc.
Well here's a novel idea, why don't they empower children? Why don't they try teach them the value of the word NO!?
No! I won't do that.
No! I'm not touching that.
Get your fcuking hands off me!
Not every (or any) relationship needs to be sexual or sexualised at that age.

[jojojojoanne]

plato lamented about the youth of the day.

[rojash]

"and by an accident of birth you know hold a degree"

eh?

[Mrs.Sippy]

I thought the meaning was obvious but I'll explain anyway.

By an accident of birth he has the intelligence to gain a degree. Not THAT difficult to work out.

[RavenD]

It's a pity the Bernado's advert doesn't show the kids spitting at the elderly or getting p*ssed on white cider and smoking dope. It's a pity they don't show the kids walking into a corner shop and calling the owner a " **** b*stard". it's a pity it doesn't show them throwing rocks at two year old children, oh yes the children are being demonised. By the way, all of the above has happened on my estate.

There are two sides to every story, unfortunately, I cannot remember the last time I spoke to a polite teenager.