Jenny C

In the very first paragraph, I found myself disagreeing with the authors
very basic premise for writing this article.

"Education, more than any other factor, is responsible for America's
success."

Some people may see that as the case, but that doesn't match reality.
America's success has more to do with the freedom that allowed anyone to
succeed if they worked hard and were lucky. The introduction of
formalized education has had more of a flatlining effect. Initially,
helping a mass populace to be able to read was a good thing, and that
probably did help.

So, everything else after that part of the article was an example of how
education doesn't really create success. And the author is right about
losing graduates by not engaging them in the multi-dimensional aspect of
the high tech world and continuing with the boring one dimensional spoon
feeding of information to a populace that should be out DOing.

Sometimes I'm really struck by the notion that our culture is really
missing out by locking away teens from the world and keeping them stuck
and in waiting mode. What an incredible waste of energy! Especially as
I've gotten older and my energy is less and I get sore and tired from
trying to keep up. I can think back to my teenhood and young adulthood
and remember how much energy I had and how powerful I felt, and how
powerless I felt as a teen when I couldn't use that power!

Chamille went to a local grocery store last night when I was out with
Margaux. She wanted a frozen pizza, so walked to the store to get one.
She said that she really dislikes this particular store because every
time she goes there, the cashiers are bad mouthing their teens. So,
perhaps their teens aren't behaving or what have you, and it's no wonder
why! Teen bashing is sooo pervasive in our culture! People are really
missing out! I love my teen and teens in general, so creative and full
of life and energy, it's beautiful!

Sandra Dodd

-=-Sometimes I'm really struck by the notion that our culture is really
missing out by locking away teens from the world and keeping them stuck
and in waiting mode. What an incredible waste of energy!-=-



But it keeps them from taking the jobs away from parents of
children. I think that's part of the deal, left over from the
Depression and the return from WWII and that. If there are only so
many jobs, they should go to men first, then single mothers, and then
*maybe* to teenagers. I think that was part of the thinking right
after WWII, in the U.S., anyway.



-=-I can think back to my teenhood and young adulthood

and remember how much energy I had and how powerful I felt, and how
powerless I felt as a teen when I couldn't use that power!-=-



No kidding. And they try to tell teens that school is their job, and
there's nothing more important than "a good education," which ends up
generally amounting to a piece of paper saying you endured emotional
abuse and crazy arbitrary hoop-jumping for 12 or 13 years, and then
maybe "if you're lucky" another one after another four (or six or
eight...) years too!!! Whoopty-do!



I did learn a lot in college, and I'm glad I went, and Marty's
starting to talk about maybe going to college, but the difference is
I really WANTED to be there. I was surrounded by people who had no
more choice than they'd had the first day of first grade. My
roommate's mother came with her from four states away and put her
clothes in her closet and filled out her schedule for her. Not with
her. For her. Maybe I'm jealous and wish my parents had done some
cool stuff for me (my dad paid my room and board, and I took loans
for tuition and books). But anyway... If Marty goes it will be even
MORE different.

Holly's boyfriend was in grad school and dropped out, and his parents
are treating him like a criminal, like a huge shameful failure.
School has grown into a huge façade of real world, where some people
can't even SEE "real world" because school blots out the landscape.



Sandra

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