So - we have the government here whining about the lack of respect from today's teenagers - how they have little or no respect for anyone else or themselves - especially in relation to the rise in knife crime here in the last few months!
What exactly did the government expect?!
In the last few years here (good old England!!!!) it has all been about children's rights - that they should have more freedom and rights and be treat more like adults!
Now don't get me wrong - I agree children should have rights and be respected - I was very happy when the cane and other forms of punishment were removed from schools. I was ecstatic when child abuse became a more talked about thing rather than kept completely hidden. I was happy to see a number of child help lines emerging for help with drug problems and/or just general teenage/childhood angst problems.
I do not believe children should have to live in a 'seen but not heard' society.
I do however believe children should be allowed to remain children whilst they can - like I have said many times before - the big bad world of adulthood will bite them on the ass sooner and harder than they think.
It is not all about the loss of sweetness and innocence in making a child grow too quickly. It is a loss of control, of moral teachings, of respect for themselves and others when boundaries are continually pushed further and further away until they are virtually non-existent.
Let's start with the education system. Who the heck would want to be a teacher these days??!! So many rights have been taken away from teachers it now seems like a 'scary' occupation rather than one people used to do in order to be able to genuinely help children. Now if they try to command any respect in the classroom even by shouting too loudly they are at risk of being taken to court if one of the little darlings gets upset.
They have been told that now - they should be their pupils friends; that they cannot correct work with a red pen because it looks too aggressive and may upset the child (poor darlings!)
Homework is given on printed sheets to 'fill in the gaps'. Textbooks are non-existent near enough. School reports are no longer marked A-F - because again - it is classed as too harsh.
GCSE's are dumbed down so much they are now a national and international joke! If I was at school now I could do an English GCSE but get awarded 3 if I pass all three parts - or 2 if I only pass 2 - yada yada. A drama exam used to hold 5 parts to it 4 years ago and therefore again - a GCSE for each part. Hell by the reckoning of the stuff they get passes for now I would have walked away with approx 24 passes! (Yes I was a smart ass at school!) It has been proven by many shows on TV here - sending smart kids from today - back to the 50's 60's 70's and 80's - and a couple managed a pass in one or 2 subjects - but were tired with the work that they had to do for themselves in order to obtain the grades.
A recently written article displays how bad this has got - which I provided a link for in a previous blog entry - but here it is again:
http://www.city-journal.org/2008/eon0711td.html
A child was given marks for writing 'f**k off' on an examination paper - one of the reasons given for the marks - 'it would have been wicked to give it a zero.'
The other reasons were apparently they could string 2 words together and spell them correctly - read the whole article - it is not very long and the writer makes some very valid points.
If this does not shock as to how sad the education system is here - nothing will.
In the days of O levels (yeah yeah I know - break out the violins - hovis bread music and 4 guys sitting around doing the 'when I were a lad' sketch!) you had to pass all three parts of the exam in order to get the one O level. Classes were grouped into O level and CSE groups - and if those that sat the CSE obtained a high enough grade - they were awarded an O level.
Now it is one for all - high achievers in with low achievers - so everyone is on the same standard - again - so no-one feels put down at being in the CSE group.
The groups were there for various reasons - so high achievers could get more done - being one of them. The CSE groups were not full of low achievers - they also had many pupils that could not handle the stress of an O level group but they knew that they could still be awarded the O level if their pass rate was high enough - therefore they could study at a pace suitable to their needs.
We have a government moaning over the drop out rates at Universities which is leading to a lack of highly skilled people in specific trades - science - medicine etc.
There is one simple reason for this - Universities are the one educational establishment the Government could not get their hands on and make them 'dumb down' the work required for completion of a degree. Therefore a student goes to University - and cannot handle the work - either in volume or complexity - because of the lack of standard education in schools and colleges. It really is not that hard to figure out why the drop out rates are so high - that and student loans!
We have a lot of children leaving school with the attitude of they can do no wrong. No - I am not saying all children are like this - far from it - it is always the minority trouble makers which make it look bad for the majority - although there is little can be said for the education system here now other than disastrous.
So much publicity was given here as to how children have more rights and freedoms - but in the wrong way. Teachers with no rights to obtain respect in the classroom. Parents having rights taken away from them more and more in very serious issues such as the morning after pill (abortion pill) but still held accountable for other health issues and general welfare of the child - while the children are in a classroom being taught what sperm tastes like!
Sadly there are parents at fault too - too many with the attitude of 'what's the point of trying to punish your child when they get away with it at school.'
I am lucky - my kids are in a good primary school - my oldest 2 being deaf went through a different kind of education system rather than the normal state school run. I am actually scared for my 2nd youngest going to High School this year - even though I did research the school thoroughly and it is a very good one.
I am not afraid to punish my kids by taking games away from them or extra chores or whatever - even if it does make me barbaric (see a previous entry for this!)
I talk to my kids about different things they see and read about - good and bad - I hug them - tell them I love them - and they trust me to know I will be there - will be fair but will also not be afraid of telling them if they do something wrong. I am not afraid to shout at them - mine is going to be far from the only raised voice they hear in a lifetime. I control and monitor internet access - the youngest are not allowed chat clients. We have fun together and we have serious times together too.
The thing I love about my children the most is the unconditional love and respect I get from them because they know it is freely given to them. I am proud to say I can take my kids anywhere and the 2nd time will not be to apologise for their behaviour the first time.
My kids are kids and retain an innocence about them - even the oldest ones - although it is hard letting them go bit by bit as they get older and they find their own way in life - I know I have done what I can to teach them right from wrong. I'm one proud mom in knowing my kids do not have a 'f**k you' attitude to anyone else or themselves.
My kids know one thing that I have told them always - if you know in your own heart that you have done your best - then that is good enough.
They are not angels and I am not the perfect mom - but we do good!
Too many kids now believe they can do no wrong. They see celebrities doing hard drugs and no punishment given. They see friends being taken to court after being caught committing a crime - and no punishment given. On the rare occasion a punishment is given - the sentences are ridiculous. The police force is laughed at and mocked by many teenage street gangs because they know that even when arrested that they will go to court and little will happen.
The education system is a farce - the police mocked because they do their jobs very well - but for little or no result. The judicial system is the biggest farce of all - a system that is supposed to help keep the moral fabric of a society together - but does not.
The Government announced a crack down on knife crime - and was rewarded with 4 deaths by stabbing in 23 hours! If that does not speak volumes to them - little will.
Kids need boundaries - they need to see if they overstep those boundaries that there is a consequence. Kids that did not have boundaries or have to show respect in the home - always had those boundaries set at school and had to show respect there - so if a child was let down in some way - there was always somewhere else as a fallback.
Now there is nowhere except the home - and with a more materialistic society amongst children as to who has the most expensive trainers or whatever - stress on parents for day to day things - that children do sometimes take a back seat even in the best of families. A judicial system that is a shambles and no respect for those in any position of authority - it is fair to say this country and any hope of a bright future and our youngsters leading the way went to the dogs long ago.
So now that the little darlings know they can do what they want when they want thanks to our so-called Government - why then are the Government so surprised that when someone is allowed to say 'f**k you' long enough as a child - that they carry this attitude into adulthood?
Hell - you could put the whole of of the Government into Colombia and they would still not be able to wake up and smell the coffee!
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