“Why don’t you guys study like the kids from Africa?”
In a moment of exasperation last spring, I asked that question to a virtually all-black class of 12th-graders who had done horribly on a test I had just given. A kid who seldom came to class — and was constantly distracting other students when he did — shot back: “It’s because they have fathers who kick their butts and make them study.”
Another student angrily challenged me: “You ask the class, just ask how many of us have our fathers living with us.” When I did, not one hand went up.
I was stunned.
I had a conversation about this with a friend around a campfire this weekend. This problem can not be fixed by the government or any amount of money. With God’s help, It must be solved by Christian men, one on one, probably one man at a time. IMHO.
[blockquote]Percent of all births to unmarried women: 38.5%
Source: Births: Final Data for 2006, tables D and 18
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/FASTATS/unmarry.htm%5B/blockquote%5D
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[blockquote]Recent figures suggest that now, almost 70 percent of black children are born out of wedlock.
Source:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4865449
[/blockquote]
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[blockquote]
A number of studies suggest that fathers who are involved, nurturing, and playful with their infants have children with higher IQs, as well as better linguistic and cognitive capacities.
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The influence of a father’s involvement on academic achievement extends into adolescence and young adulthood. Numerous studies find that an active and nurturing style of fathering is associated with better verbal skills, intellectual functioning, and academic achievement among adolescents. For instance, a 2001 U.S. Department of Education study found that highly involved biological fathers had children who were 43 percent more likely than other children to earn mostly As and 33 percent less likely than other children to repeat a grade.
Source:
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/fatherhood/chaptertwo.cfm
[/blockquote]
It isn’t about race/ethnicity; it’s about culture, mores, and religious practices. Perhaps our cultural acceptance of out of wedlock parenting, financial support of single motherhood via welfare and other social programs (vestiges of Johnson’s Great Society), and the seeming misandrist destruction of the role of men in society and of fathers in particular is a contributing factor.
Perhaps, if we retraced our steps back to a time when these trends were not prevalent, we could discover the root causes of this very bad trend and amend our policies to improve the outcome. It is ironic that one of the chief criticisms of the Bush administration by the Liberals was the apparent inability of the administration to adapt to change, or their dogged determination to persist in the wrong direction despite overwhelming evidence that the original assumptions and conclusions were wrong. I think that the Liberal establishment has an equally damaging blind spot on this issue.
Unfortunately, as long as Political Correctness is the arbiter of public discourse, reality will continue to be ignored and the problems will continue to grow.
Well, Dick Tracy, what else is new?
Gutsy and truthful message from a teacher. Hope he is not now in the crosshairs.
For the last fifty years, total per capita spending on health care has increased substantially. Both longevity and quality of life have also increased substantially — artificial hips, knees, shoulders, anyone?
During the same period, total per student spending on education increased even more than for health. Test scores and graduation rates have remained nearly constant.
One of our political parties proclaims not only that the rising expenditures in health as justification for cuts … but that the lack of results in education means we need to be spending [i]more[/i].
Great return on increased expenses in health? Cut it.
Non-existent return on increased expenses in education? Spend more.
Great logic from Washington.
A number of years ago, Bernard Epton, now deceased, ran for mayor
of Chicago. Somebody at a community meeting “ambushed” him
by asking what he was going to do about the high drop-out rate
among Hispanic high school students. Although not a verbatim quote,
he said : “I’m going to do nothing. They’re your kids – you keep ’em
in school !”
A great article and a bracing dose of common sense. The problem seems so obvious, but everyone tip-toes around the issue. We truly live in a bizzare culture.
Parents matter. What a concept.
Our social system pays women to have children with out being tied to a husband. The free market system works, you get what you pay for…
[blockquote]I wish those three days had been spent bringing students to school to lay out clear rules and consequences, and for sessions on conflict resolution and anger management. [/blockquote]
Yes, do set out [i]clear rules and consequences[/i], but toss out the [i]sessions on conflict resolution and anger management[/i]. Setting out rules and consequences are what fathers are good at. Sessions on conflict resolution and anger management are what women in general and mothers in particular are good at. As pointed out, that is the problem. It is foolish to attempt to solve a problem by more of the same.
It is good this teacher has some idea (surely not the greater part) of the problem, but it is sad that this teacher really does not have any idea of the solution. Of course, the administration must have some idea of the problem as well as some idea of a solution before any teacher can make much headway.