Personal Responsibility.
Our educational system is on a dangerously slippery slope downward. Parents, educators and administrators do not want to admit that our collective school systems are failing. What’s worst of all is that they are failing our students.
Parents blame teachers for not teaching their children.
Teachers blame parents for failing to discipline at home.
Teachers also blame administrators, for not providing enough support to its teaching staff.
Administrators blame the parents for failing to discipline at home.
Students blame everyone but themselves.
This is where I come in. I have talked
about myriad problems faced by the schools in both suburban and urban locales.
I have written letters to editors of local and national publications. And I
have certainly walked the walk
having taught in the public schools. Now I step up and take the responsibility
to talk the talk as a member of the
City of
Intelligent Design and World Religion.
Intelligent Design (ID) is not a science nor should it be taught in science classes. However, I am open to teaching ID as a theory that could be included in the curriculum of a course on world religions.
It is appropriate, via humanities
curricula, to teach world religions. Students learn history – social, political
and military history about ancient cultures of
A yearlong course about world religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto and even Zoroastrianism and their various sects could be taught the same way a class on various world cultures would be taught. Make no mistake, this is not prayer in school, nor is it proselytizing or an endorsement of any faith, but instead, the historical teachings of world religions.
Knowledge is power, as I often told my students; and learning about other cultures and faiths makes them increasingly educationally well-developed.
It Isn’t Just About Test Scores.
A well-rounded student should naturally
achieve success in reading, mathematics and science in order to be competitive
on a global level. But let’s not forget
Our academics must also include students’ communication skills – writing and speaking – making that first impression either orally or via the printed word. Whether our students are applying to college or for employment, communication skills will matter. This includes spelling, proper grammar and other “ancient aspects of teaching English that make students’ eyes roll to the backs of their heads.”
Teach life skills: how to fill out a college/employment application; how to plan a budget; file a tax return – students have jobs; have regular competitions in school – sports, academic – learn about winning and losing; current events, voting and citizenship.
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Stutman-Horn
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