http://indianachamberblogs.com/chamber-news/next-up-on-letters-agenda-education/ The Business Blog of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:06:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://indianachamberblogs.com/chamber-news/next-up-on-letters-agenda-education/#comment-95 c.young Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:38:15 +0000 http://indianachamberblogs.com/chamber-news/next-up-on-letters-agenda-education/#comment-95 I read Edmund Hafer's article in the Evansville paper which makes the same points as the clip. I find it interesting in that same paper are three other articles about children. In one the now 21 year old reports being molested "hundreds of times" between the age of 8 and 14. In another article adults are arrested because the police heard a commotion in their apartment while investigating another incident in another apartment. After checking they found a 4 year old with a head injury. The adult male in the home admitted he had thrown a chair at the child and caused the injury. This happened at 3:00 am. Finally, there is an article about a dead 2 year old. This child's family was being investigated because in the spring he was brought to the doctor with suspicious injuries. After his urine was tested, it tested positive for amphetamines and meth. After the mother failed a lie detector test she admitted she smoked meth with the child in the car. After his death she said she also suspected her boyfriend of abusing the child. Maybe it's not education that is failing children. Maybe the problems lie within our society. We have children having children. Children with parents in jail, and grandparents who raised these incarcerated individuals now raising another generation. As an educator I have children who fall asleep in class, tell of stories of the police coming to their home during the night, and who complain of being hungry. And I do not teach in the inner city. I have children who stay at daycare from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm and then have soccer or other practice in the evening. I have chidren who talk about the scary R rated movie they watched the night before. Perhaps blaming educators for the failure of children to learn is like blaming a dentist for their patients cavities, or blaming doctors for child obesity. If children come to school ready and able to learn, I am confident our schools are more than ready to help them reach their educational goals. I read Edmund Hafer’s article in the Evansville paper which makes the same points as the clip. I find it interesting in that same paper are three other articles about children. In one the now 21 year old reports being molested “hundreds of times” between the age of 8 and 14. In another article adults are arrested because the police heard a commotion in their apartment while investigating another incident in another apartment. After checking they found a 4 year old with a head injury. The adult male in the home admitted he had thrown a chair at the child and caused the injury. This happened at 3:00 am. Finally, there is an article about a dead 2 year old. This child’s family was being investigated because in the spring he was brought to the doctor with suspicious injuries. After his urine was tested, it tested positive for amphetamines and meth. After the mother failed a lie detector test she admitted she smoked meth with the child in the car. After his death she said she also suspected her boyfriend of abusing the child. Maybe it’s not education that is failing children. Maybe the problems lie within our society. We have children having children. Children with parents in jail, and grandparents who raised these incarcerated individuals now raising another generation. As an educator I have children who fall asleep in class, tell of stories of the police coming to their home during the night, and who complain of being hungry. And I do not teach in the inner city. I have children who stay at daycare from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm and then have soccer or other practice in the evening. I have chidren who talk about the scary R rated movie they watched the night before. Perhaps blaming educators for the failure of children to learn is like blaming a dentist for their patients cavities, or blaming doctors for child obesity. If children come to school ready and able to learn, I am confident our schools are more than ready to help them reach their educational goals.

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